Study: Ages 18-34 Not Reading Newspapers

By: Charles Geraci Media use by 18- to 34-year-olds is in large part dependent on their chaotic lifestyles, according to a new qualitative study released Tuesday.

"To understand the 18 to 34 year-old market, you have to understand that their schedules are often chaotic and irregular," said John Carey, a long-time researcher and managing director of Greystone Communications, which conducted the study for the Online Publishers Association (OPA). In a speech to journalists at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York, he stressed that convenience and accessibility are important factors influencing media consumption.

Carey added that multitasking of media has become a popular trend among this group. It is not uncommon, for instance, for one of these individuals to surf the Web and watch television at the same time. The proliferation of the wireless Internet has contributed to this phenomenon.

The Internet plays a prominent role in the lives of these consumers, with the Web being a source of information as well as entertainment. Last month, in the OPA's first installment of research on this age group, it revealed that while 18- to 34-year-olds make up about 25% of the U.S. population, they comprise over 34% of the online population. These individuals not only feel secure shopping and banking online, but enjoy the convenience of doing so.

While television was cited as a source of "entertainment" and "escape," radio was equated with "companionship" and "connectedness." These two mediums were the key sources for breaking news as well as the most popular among 18- to 34-year-olds.

On the other hand, Carey delivered poor news for the newspaper industry. "Not many people in this study read a newspaper regularly," he said. "In fact, I do not recall one individual who read a newspaper daily," he told E&P on Tuesday afternoon. He did note, however, that some read the online version of newspapers.

"The core relationship these individuals have with the Web makes me question whether they're going to read newspapers," Carey said. "We'll know for sure in 10 years."

During March and April 2004, Carey interviewed and observed 42 people in 23 households and five states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Massachusetts). Carey's in-the-field research is a type of ethnography -- the study and systematic recording of human culture and behavior.

The full report is available at the OPA's Web site.