By: Jennifer Saba Contrary to popular belief, teens are interested in more than just Britney Spears. Real news is just as important to them, according to a study presented today at the Newspaper Association of America's Readership Conference being held here. "They just don't want fluff issues [only]" Jon Iafeliece, partner at North Castle Partners, told a group of about 150 newspaper executives.
Teens are most interested in a broad range of subjects, like the job market, college issues and gas prices. While they express a desire to know more about the world around them, they're a tad self-centered; those subjects have to affect them. In other words, teens skip over articles that involve Pakistan's involvement with India, for example.
A surprising find was that across the board, most of the female participants in the focus group had an overwhelming interest in local crime. "It was the No. 1 or No. 2 issue," Iafeliece said, adding that they are concerned for their own safety.
Still, newspapers have to overcome a lot in order to attract this group, including the daunting and rather brash discovery that most of them "hate reading." Teens also feel that newspapers are boring, that the articles are too long, that jumps are annoying and that the format is unwieldy. Teens are cynical too; they found newspapers to be biased.
The study is based on insight collected from 10 focus groups conducted throughout the country, including Stamford, Conn.; Augusta, Ga.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Seattle. Participants ranged in age from 15-19. North Castle Partners, a Stamford-based marketing company, spearheaded the study on behalf of the NAA.
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