News consumption in the UK: research report. 25 June 2014

Transcription

1 News consumption in the UK: research report 25 June 2014

2 Introduction This summary slide pack provides the findings of Ofcom s 2014 research into news consumption across television, radio, print and online. It is published as part of our range of market research publications that examine the consumption of content, and attitudes towards that content, across different platforms. The aim of this slide pack is to inform an understanding of news consumption across the UK, and within each UK nation. The slide pack details various findings relating to the consumption of news; the sources and platforms used, the perceived importance of different platforms and outlets for news, attitudes to individual news sources and an overview of local media consumption. It also provides details of our cross-platform news consumption metric share of references. An accompanying summary report which highlights the key findings is available on the Ofcom website. This report uses a variety of data sources. The primary source is a news survey commissioned by Ofcom and conducted by Kantar Media in March and April 2014, comprising an omnibus survey of 2,731 people across the UK, which includes boosts of 350 in each devolved nation. This is the default source unless otherwise specified. Other sources used include: an omnibus survey of 2,152 people across the UK, commissioned by Ofcom and conducted by Ipsos Mori, about local media; metrics on television viewing from the industry currency BARB; newspaper readership figures from the National Readership Survey (NRS); and online consumption metrics from UKOM/comScore

3 3 News consumption in the UK: contents Section Slide 1 News consumption by platform 4 2 Use of multiple sources across platforms 10 3 Importance of news sources 20 4 Share of references 24 5 News consumption via television 29 6 News consumption via radio 36 7 News consumption through newspapers 39 8 News consumption via the internet 48 9 Attitudes towards news topics and reasons for following news Local media use News consumption in the nations 69

4 1 News consumption by platform

5 Figure 1 Platforms used for news nowadays Consumption of news via the internet has increased for both computers/laptops/tablets and mobiles since 2014, while TV has seen a small decrease. Television remains by far the mostused platform for news consumption. News consumption by any type of internet platform (41%) is now on a par with newspaper and radio consumption. % of adults in UK Television Any internet or apps* Newspapers Radio Internet or apps on computer/laptop/netbook Internet or apps on tablet** Internet or apps on a mobile Word of mouth Magazines Interactive TV, Ceefax, TV apps None of these / Don t follow news 5% 6% 4% 4% 5% 7% 13% 14% 11% 11% 21% 25% 41% 32% 40% 40% 36% 35% 34% amongst those with a Smartphone 75% 78% Any internet or apps has increased amongst 16-34s from 44% in 2013 to 60% Driven by 16-34s - from 66% in 2013 to 59% Internet or apps on computer/laptop/netbook/tablet has increased from 25% in 2013 to 31% Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? 2014 Base: All adults 16+ (2731) Base: All adults 16+ (2862) *Any internet or apps is an aggregate of all internet devices. **Tablet usage not asked separately in 2013

6 Figure 2 Platforms used for news nowadays : 16-24s and 55+ Those aged are more likely than those aged 55+ to use the internet or apps to access news (60% v 21%) and they are less likely to use the television (56% v 90%). Use of a mobile for news shows the biggest difference between the age groups. % of adults in UK Television Any internet or apps* Newspapers Radio Internet or apps on laptop/netbook Internet or apps on tablet Internet or apps on a mobile Word of mouth Magazines Interactive TV, Ceefax, TV apps None of these / Don t follow news 12% 15% 7% 4% 15% 8% 5% 4% 2% 3% 10% 3% Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults 16+ (2731). *Any internet or apps; aggregate of all internet devices. 21% 21% 29% 36% 41% 40% % 54% 60% 90%

7 Figure 3 Use of four main platforms for news nowadays Over nine in 10 adults (95%) use any of the four main platforms (TV, newspapers, radio and internet) for news. The figure is higher among over 55s (96%) than 16-24s (89%). All platforms are more likely to be used by those in the AB socio-economic group, and this group also uses more platforms in general than those in the DE group. The use of the internet for news shows a large differentiation by both age and social grade. The average number of platforms % of adults in UK used nowadays for news is % 90% (2.1 in 2013) * 75% 78% 40% 40% 36% 41% 35% 32% Any of the four main platforms Television Newspapers Radio Internet (any device) Q3a)/Q3aa) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults 16+ ( , ) * These averages are calculated from the 8 platforms used for news nowadays asked at Q3a, to allow for comparison of trend over time, rather than using the fuller list of platforms asked about in 2014.

8 Figure 4 Combinations of four main platforms used nowadays for news TV only has decreased slightly since 2013, with just under one in five (18%) using only TV for news. One in ten (9%) say they only use the internet for news, an increase from 5% in One in five (20%) of those aged 55+ and almost three in ten (28%) of those in the DE socio-economic group use only TV for news, compared to one in ten (9%) of ABs. Almost one in five of those aged use internet only for news, compared to 1% of those aged 55+. TV only TV + Newspapers TV + Newspapers + Radio 9% 10% TV + Internet 9% 7% Internet only 9% 5% TV + Radio 8% 8% TV + Radio + Newspapers + 7% 6% TV + Radio + Internet 7% 6% TV + Internet + Newspapers 5% 4% Newspapers only 2% 3% Radio only 2% 2% Internet + Newspapers 2% 1% Internet + Radio 2% 1% Radio + Newspapers 1% 1% Internet + Radio + Newspapers 1% 0% None of the above 5% 10% 13% 14% Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? 2014 Base: All adults 16+ (2731), 2013 Base: All adults 16+ (2862) 18% 22% TV only Proportion of each demographic that use TV only and internet only Internet only % 19% % 1% AB 9% 9% DE 28% 5%

9 Figure 5 Make-up of news consumption by four main platforms Of all the possible platform combinations used for news, TV and no other platform is the most popular at 18%, followed by a combination of TV and newspapers (13%). Seven per cent of respondents used all four platforms. Television 75% 9% 18% 8% 2% 1% Radio 36% 9% 7% 9% 2% 2% 7% 13% Internet 41% 1% 5% 2% Newspapers 40% None of the above = 5% Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults 16+ (2731)

10 2 Use of multiple sources across platforms

11 Figure 6 Average number of news sources used nowadays per platform Among those who use each particular platform, the mean number of sources used within them has not changed. Overall, the average number of sources used across all platforms is average across platforms (3.7) Average number of news sources used nowadays per platform (1.9) (2.1) (1.4) (1.9) 2013 figures in brackets Q5a to Q5e Base: All who use each platform for news nowadays (TV=2136, Newspapers=1160, Radio=990, Internet=1029, All platforms=2580).

12 Figure 7 Distribution of multi-sourcing Over three-quarters (76%) of news consumers use three or fewer news providers. Compared to 2013, the use of two providers has increased slightly (26% to 29%). WHOLESALE 100% 2% 1% 0% 80% 76% use 3 or fewer 12% 7% 60% 55% use 1 or 2 providers 21% 22% use 4 or more providers 40% 29% 20% 26% 0% 1 provider 2 providers 3 providers 4 providers 5 providers 6 providers 7 providers 8+ providers Q5a to Q5e Base: All who use any platform for news nowadays (2580) Note: Wholesale is classified as the company that provides the news for the given source. Retail is classified as the branded title/service through which the news is provided.

13 Figure 8 Distribution of multi-sourcing At a retail level, 72% of news consumers use three or fewer news sources. There have been no changes since RETAIL 100% 72% use 3 or fewer 80% 52% use 1 or 2 providers 60% 19% 40% 27% 11% 2% 1% 4% 1% 8% 27% use 4 or more providers 20% 26% 0% 1 provider 2 providers 3 providers 4 providers 5 providers 6 providers 7 providers 8 providers 9+ providers Q5a to Q5e Base: All who use any platform for news nowadays (2580) Note: Wholesale is classified as the company that provides the news for the given source. Retail is classified as the branded title/service through which the news is provided.

14 Figure 9 Number of sources used on each platform Over three in five (62%) of radio news listeners use just one source. Over four in ten online news users (45%), TV news users (42%), and just over a third of newspaper readers (35%) use only one source. The number of sources used across platforms, proportion of respondents(%) (2013 figures in brackets) Number of sources used TV Radio Newspapers Internet/apps All platforms 1 42% (43%) 62% (64%) 35% (29%) 45% (45%) 20% (21%) 2 34% (34%) 24% (20%) 39% (44%) 22% (21%) 19% (18%) 3 14% (13%) 7% (7%) 13% (14%) 13% (14%) 17% (17%) 4 4% (5%) 2% (2%) 6% (6%) 6% (7%) 13% (13%) 5 2% (2%) 1% (1%) 2% (2%) 3% (3%) 9% (9%) 6 1% (1%) - (-) 1% (1%) 2% (1%) 7% (6%) 7+ 2% (-) - (-) 1% (-) 2% (-) 15% (12%) Mean number of sources used 2.0 (1.9) 1.4 (1.4) 1.9 (2.1) 2.0 (1.9) 3.8 (3.7) Base: All who use each platform for news nowadays :TV=2136, radio=990, newspapers=1160, internet=1029, All platforms=2580. Note: For individual platforms the mean number of sources is among those who use just that particular platform for news. For all platforms (aggregated) the mean number of sources is shown among those who used any of the four platforms for news and aggregated across all of them so is therefore a wider base.the calculation is made by summing the number of sources each respondent said for each platform, and then dividing by the number of people who use any of them.

15 Figure 10 Number of sources used on each platform, by age group Of those who use each platform for news, those in the age group are more likely than those in the 55+ age group to use just one source. The number of sources used across platforms, proportion of respondents (%) Number of sources used All platforms year olds % 23% 16% 2 19% 20% 18% 3 17% 13% 20% 4 13% 10% 15% 5 9% 7% 11% 6 7% 6% 8% 7+ 15% 6% 5% Mean number of sources used Base: All who use each platform for news nowadays :TV=2136, radio=990, newspapers=1160, Internet=1029, All platforms=2580. Note: For individual platforms the mean number of sources is among those who use just that particular platform for news. For all platforms (aggregated) the mean number of sources is shown among those who used any of the four platforms for news and aggregated across all of them so is therefore a wider base.the calculation is made by summing the number of sources each respondent said for each platform, and then dividing by the number of people who use any of them.

16 Figure 11 Top 20 news sources: reach among all adults The top two news sources in terms of reach among UK adults are both TV channels, with BBC One being the most used (53%). The BBC website or app is now the third most-used news source. BBC One ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV BBC website or app Sky News Channel BBC News Channel The Sun BBC Radio 2 The Daily Mail BBC Radio 4 Channel 4 Google (Search engine) BBC Radio 1 Facebook Sky News website or app The Sun on Sunday The Daily Mirror Any local daily paper BBC Two The Mail on Sunday The Metro The Guardian 11% 10% 9% 9% 8% 8% 7% 7% 7% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 4% 4% 17% 16% 33% 24% 16% in 2013 TV Channel Newspaper Radio Station Website / app Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source> which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults 16+ (2731) Note: 2013 figures only shown where there are statistically significant differences between 2013 and % 57% in 2013

17 Figure 12 Sole use of news providers (used nowadays) : 2013 vs One quarter (26%) of news consumers use one provider only. The proportion of news consumers who use the BBC only has increased from 12% to 16% since % (78%) of news consumers use three or fewer providers 26% (27%) use one provider only 16% (12%) only use 6% (8%) only use Proportion of each demographic that use only BBC One as a news source (2013 figures in brackets) AB DE Q5a to Q5e Base: All who use any source for news nowadays (2553) 7% (7%) 7% (10%) 4% (5%) 9% (10%)

18 Figure 13 Cross-platform audience reach of providers used nowadays for news Eight in ten (80%) of those who use any news source use any BBC source. There have been no shifts since Cross-platform reach (%) 79% 80% WHOLESALE Other includes 273 sources (all below 2%) 42% 40% 30% 30% 33 TV stations (Mostly foreign) 153 local papers (Not DMGT or Trinity) 74 websites or apps 36% 39% 19% 17% 17% 18% 9% 9% 5% 6% 5% 5% 6% 4% 5% 4% 1% Base: Q5a to Q5e. All who use any platform for news nowadays (2580) Note: Wholesale is classified as the company that provides the news for the given source. Retail is classified as the branded title/service through which the news is provided. This wholesale category is derived from responses given about individual news titles.

19 Figure 14 Cross-platform audience reach of providers used nowadays for news Eight in ten (80%) of those who use any news source use any BBC source. There have been no shifts since Cross-platform reach (%) 79% 80% RETAIL Other includes 252 sources (all below 2%) 37% 36% 22% 19% 19% 17% 17% 18% 33 TV stations (mostly foreign) 153 local papers (not DMGT or Trinity) 65 websites or apps 29% 24% 11% 9% 9% 9% 9% 7% 9% 9% 9% 7% 8% 9% 8% 5% 5% 6% 5% 5% 5% 4% 1% Base: Q5a to Q5. All who use any platform for news nowadays (2580 ) Note: Wholesale is classified as the company that provides the news for the given source. Retail is classified as the branded title/service through which the news is provided (except the three generic categories commercial radio, aggregators and social media ). Within our sample Other included mentions for 37 TV channels (mostly foreign), 157 local newspapers (not DMGT or Trinity Mirror) and 71 websites or apps.

20 3 Importance of news sources

21 Figure 15 Single most important news source across all adults and selected age-groups The proportion of UK adults who say BBC One is their single most important news source is lower than in 2013 (28% vs. 34%) s place more importance on websites/apps than in 2013 (45% vs 30%). Proportion of respondents (%) all UK %: % 40 BBC One 12 All UK ITV1/ITV WALES/ UTV/STV BBC News Channel 4 Sky News Channel BBC website or app 5% BBC Radio 4 All UK (2013 figures in brackets) BBC Radio (2013 figures in brackets) TV channel 54% (62%) 36% (46%) 65% (70%) Newspaper 11% 12% 15% Radio 12% (10%) 6% (11%) 12% Website/app 21% (14%) 45% (30%) 4% Facebook The Sun BBC Radio 1 Q8a) Looking at all the sources of news you have said that you use, which one is most important to you personally. * Others includes sources below 2%. Base: All who use any news source nowadays (16+=2553, 16-24=319, 55+=1081). Note: 2013 figures only shown where there are statistically significant differences between 2013 and Others*

22 Figure 16 Single most important news source across all adults and selected SEG Over one-fifth (22%) of those in the DE socio-economic group say that ITV1 or its national equivalent is their single most important news source, compared to 5% of those in the AB socioeconomic group. Proportion of respondents (%) all UK %: BBC One 34% ITV1/ITV WALES/ UTV/STV All UK AB DE BBC News Channel 6 Sky News Channel BBC website or app BBC Radio 4 All UK AB DE TV channel 54% (62%) 50% 65% Newspaper 11% 11% 12% Radio 12% (10%) 14% 9% Website/app 21% (14%) 24% 12% 5% BBC Radio 2 Facebook The Sun BBC Radio 1 Q8a) Looking at all the sources of news you have said that you use, which one is most important to you personally? Base: All who use any news source nowadays (16+=2553, AB=532, DE=882) * Others includes sources below 2% Others*

23 Figure 17 Single most personally important news source Over half (52%) cite a BBC source as their most important news source. This is followed by ITN (13%) and Sky (9%). There have been no shifts since Proportion of respondents (%) 53% 52% WHOLESALE 15% 13% 8% 9% 11% 12% 3% 4% 3% 3% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Q8a) Looking at all the sources of news you have said that you use, which one is most important to you personally? Base: All who use a news source for news nowadays (2553) Note: This wholesale category is derived from responses given about individual news titles.

24 4 Share of references

25 Share of references Share of references is a bespoke cross-media metric using our survey data Respondents are asked to list all the news sources which they use and the frequency with which they use them. Each reference to a source is then weighted for frequency and summed. We then calculate the share that each source, or provider, has across all media platforms. Purpose: Bespoke metric to incorporate the impact of frequency and multi-sourcing within media providers and owners cross-platform. Calculation: 1. Frequency scale figures established for each individual source used nowadays 2. Each frequency factored to create new weighted figures 3. Weighted frequency figures summed to create a weighted total 4. All sources summed to create grand total of consumption 5. Proportion of grand total calculated for each source 6. Weighted source totals for each individual source summed and grouped by respective retailer/wholesaler, i.e. If respondent uses more than one source from a particular retailer/wholesaler it counts each time 7. Proportions for each relevant source summed for providers to create share of references 8. Specific platform proportions of share of references calculated for each provider as well

26 Figure 18 Platform share of references TV has a 42% share of references, down from 47% in The internet has a 27% share of references, up from 21% in Proportion of respondents (%) 50% 47% 42% 40% % 27% 20% 21% 18% 19% 13% 12% 10% 0% Television Internet or apps Radio Newspapers Base: All who use a news source nowadays (2553)

27 Figure 19 Share of references: wholesale level BBC has a 43% share of references, followed by Sky (15%) and ITN (12%). While there have been no statistically significant changes since 2013, Sky now has a higher share of references than ITN. 50% 40% 42% 43% WHOLESALE 30% 20% 10% 0% 15% 13% 14% 12% 4% 4% 4% 4% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 15% 16% Base: All who use a news source nowadays (2553) Note: Wholesale is classified as the company that provides the news for the given source. Retail is classified as the branded title/service through which the news is provided. Note: This wholesale category is derived from responses given about individual news titles.

28 Figure 20 Share of references: retail level At a retail level, the BBC has the largest share (43%), ITV has a 10% share of references, followed by Sky (7%) and commercial radio (7%). There have been no significant movements since % 40% 44% 43% RETAIL 30% 20% 10% 11% 10% 7% 7% 7% 7% 5% 5% 4% 4% 4% 4% 2% 3% 2% 2% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 5% 5% 0% Base: All who use a news source nowadays (2553) Note: Wholesale is classified as the company that provides the news for the given source. Retail is classified as the branded title/service through which the news is provided (except the three generic categories commercial radio, aggregators and social media ). Within our sample Other included mentions for 37 TV channels (mostly foreign), 157 local newspapers (not DMGT or Trinity Mirror) and 71 websites or apps.

29 5 News consumption on television

30 Figure 21 Share of viewing to national and international news on television by channel group, UK adults 16+: BARB data shows that the majority of news viewing on TV is through the BBC channels, and this has increased since ITV s share of viewing has declined during this period, while the proportion of viewing to Sky News has remained relatively stable. Proportion of national and international news viewing (%) Total hours per head Proportion of national/intl news viewing, % 100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% 6.4% 6.2% 6.9% 6.4% 6.4% 2.4% 4.2% 3.5% 1.9% 3.3% 1.9% 2.1% 3.1% 2.8% 1.8% 18.5% 15.9% 13.0% 12.8% 12.9% 9.0% 12.5% 13.9% 13.0% 12.2% 59.2% 59.7% 60.6% 62.1% 63.5% Other Sky News Channel 5 Channel 4 Source: BARB, Adults 16+, genre = News generic>national and international news, 4+ regions. Note:S4C excluded from this analysis. Shares are based on national/international news viewing to the listed channels only. Note: BBC One and Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 include HD variants and +1 channels where applicable. Other, include portfolio channels and Euronews, Russia Today and Al Jazeera English. Note: 2009 data based on Network Plus, data based on Network. New BARB panel introduced 1 st Jan As a result pre and post panel change data must be viewed with caution (see dotted line) ITV BBC News BBC One and Two

31 Figure 22 Share of viewing to national and international news on television by channel group, UK adults 16-24: Channel 4 is more popular among 16-24s than among the UK population, but BBC One and Two still account for the majority of news viewing s watch an average of 27 hours of news compared to the all-uk total of 115 hours. Proportion of national and international news viewing (%) Total hours per head Proportion of national/intl news viewing, % 100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% 6.8% 6.9% 7.8% 5.6% 2.8% 2.4% 2.6% 3.0% 6.7% 2.6% 7.2% 7.0% 6.3% 5.8% 5.8% 23.8% 10.5% 19.9% 17.3% 11.2% 16.1% 47.6% 51.5% 48.6% 17.7% 18.0% 11.1% 9.9% 55.1% 55.3% Other Sky News Channel 5 Channel 4 Source: BARB, Adults 16-24, genre = News generic>national and international news, 4+ regions. Note:S4C excluded from this analysis. Shares are based on national/international news viewing to the listed channels only. Note: BBC One and Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 include HD variants and +1 channels where applicable. Other, include portfolio channels and Euronews, Russia Today and Al Jazeera English. Note: 2009 data based on Network Plus, data based on Network. New BARB panel introduced 1 st Jan As a result pre and post panel change data must be viewed with caution (see dotted line) ITV BBC News BBC One and Two

32 Figure 23 Share of viewing to national and international news on television by channel group, UK adults 55+: The proportion of news viewing across different TV channels by those aged 55+ is in line with the UK average. The total number of hours viewed by those aged 55+ is 196, compared to 115 for all UK. Proportion of national and international news viewing (%) Total hours per head Proportion of national/intl news viewing, % 100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% 4.9% 4.8% 2.5% 2.1% 5.2% 5.0% 4.8% 4.0% 2.9% 2.0% 2.8% 2.1% 2.5% 1.8% 2.3% 17.3% 15.5% 12.9% 13.0% 12.5% 8.7% 12.1% 13.2% 12.8% 12.3% 62.3% 62.5% 63.6% 64.2% 66.0% Other Sky News Channel 5 Channel 4 Source: BARB, Adults 55+, genre = News generic>national and international news, 4+ regions. Note:S4C excluded from this analysis. Shares are based on national/international news viewing to the listed channels only. Note: BBC One and Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 include HD variants and +1 channels where applicable. Other, include portfolio channels and Euronews, Russia Today and Al Jazeera English. Note: 2009 data based on Network Plus, data based on Network. New BARB panel introduced 1 st Jan As a result pre and post panel change data must be viewed with caution (see dotted line) ITV BBC News BBC One and Two

33 Figure 24 TV channels used for news nowadays Sky News has seen a small increase among those who use TV for news (20% to 23%). BBC One is the most used TV channel for news (71%), ITV is the next highest (43%). Proportion of those that use TV for news (75% of UK adults) BBC One ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV 43% 43% Sky News Channel 23% 20% BBC News Channel 21% 21% Channel 4 11% 10% BBC Two 7% 6% Channel 5 4% 5% Al Jazeera (English version) BBC Three * 4% 3% 4% 71% 73% CNN Russia Today 2% 2% 1% 2% Q5a) Thinking specifically about television, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use TV for news (2136) 2013: (2290) Note: only sources with an incidence of 2% or more are shown. * BBC Three was not included on the prompted list in 2013

34 Figure 25 Frequency of consumption for main TV channels BBC One is the most frequently accessed across all TV news sources 78% of those who use it for news say they do so once a day or more often. Proportion of viewers (%) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 0% 3% 1% 5% 10% 12% 8% 10% 49% 29% BBC One (1547) 49% 35% 19% ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV (1029) 6% 6% 6% 10% 7% 11% 16% 10% 12% 14% 10% 20% 20% 8% 35% 30% 26% BBC News Channel (392) Sky News Channel (476) 12% 10% 39% 37% 8% 12% Q5ai) And typically how often do you watch the news on <Source>? Base: All who use the sources mentioned (base shown with source, only ones over 100 included) 18% 18% 15% 9% 33% 7% Channel 4 (218) BBC Two (134) Channel 5 (90) Less than once a week/dk Once a week 2-3 times a week Most days Once a day More than once a day

35 Figure 26 Attributes for television news sources among those who use each source Among users of the most-used TV news outlets, around one half rate them highly across the range of attributes. The perceived importance of Channel 4 and Channel 5 is lower than for other TV channels. TV news outlets are generally rated more highly for accuracy and trustworthiness than for impartiality by their users. Proportion of users 0% who rated the source 20% highly (7-10) (%) 40% 60% 80% BBC Television ITV Sky News Channel 61% 65% 63% 51% 55% 51% 60% 58% 51% 53% 58% 64% 63% 54% 58% 42% 59% 63% 55% 58% Channel 5 Al Jazeera 33% 43% 44% 45% 49% 47% 50% 53% 42% 53% Importance Accurate & Reliable Trustworthy Impartial & unbiased Offers range of opinions Base: Those who use platform to access the news nowadays on each type (varies) Only includes bases over 50. Note: News sources are ordered by consumption levels. Channel 4 (TV Channel)

36 6 News consumption on radio

37 Figure 27 Radio stations used for news nowadays Among radio listeners, people are more likely in 2014 to listen to any BBC radio (75% vs 68% in 2013). Four in ten (39%) of radio news listeners use any commercial station. Radio 2 is more likely to be used for news in 2014 (28% vs 23%) while Heart FM is less likely (7% vs 12%). Proportion of those that use radio for news (36% of UK adults) BBC Radio 2 28% 23% UK-wide BBC Radio = 68% BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 1 Capital FM BBC Regional (Any) Heart FM BBC Radio Five Live Classic FM BBC Radio Talksport Absolute Radio Real Radio BBC World Service BBC Radio 3 8% 9% 8% 8% 7% 12% 6% 8% 4% 6% 4% 3% 3% 4% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 25% 22% 20% 18% BBC Scotland = 24% BBC Wales/Cymru = 20% BBC Ulster = 45% Any BBC Radio = 75% Commercial radio = 39% Of those who use either type for news: 57% use BBC radio only (58%) 21% use commercial radio only (28%) 18% use both (15%) 2013 figures in brackets (61%) (16%) (9%) (38%) (68%) (43%) Q5d) Thinking specifically about radio stations which of the following do you use for news nowadays Base: All who use radio for news (990) Note: only sources with an incidence of 2% or more are shown

38 Figure 28 Attributes for radio news sources among those that use each source BBC radio news listeners are more likely than commercial radio news listeners to rate its news output highly across the attributes we asked about. Proportion of users who rated the source highly (7-10) (%) BBC Radio 63% 72% 70% 65% 66% Commercial Radio 44% 46% 49% 54% 58% Importance Accurate & Reliable Trustworthy Impartial & unbiased Offers range of opinions Base: Those who use platform to access the news nowadays on each type (varies) Only includes bases over 50. Note: News sources are ordered by consumption levels

39 7 News consumption through newspapers

40 Figure 29 Reach of national newspapers, by demographic: April 2004 March 2014 The reach of national newspapers has declined considerably in the past ten years, with reach among all adults falling by a quarter (25.1 percentage points) since Despite fairly stable readership between 2012 and 2013, decline in print readership in the past year has been rapid, particularly among the under-35s. Readership among 15-24s fell by 9.9pp and by 7.8pp among 25-34s. Reach (average issue readership) 80% % 40% 20% All adults % Source: National Readership Survey / Kantar Media analysis Note: Data represent the twelve months until March of the stated year. Readership in 2012 may be overstated, as it is not possible to de-duplicate readers of i and other titles due to factoring. Includes the Daily Record and Sunday Mail. Financial Times is no longer measured by NRS and is not included in data for

41 Figure 30 Reach of national newspapers, by media owner: April 2004-March 2014 (7 days) Almost all publishers have seen their reach decline since 2004, with News Corp and Trinity Mirror seeing the largest decrease in readership. Lebedev s compact daily, i, has helped increase readership to its titles. After a slight increase in 2013, due to the launch of the Sun on Sunday, News Corp s readership decreased again in Reach (average issue readership) 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% News Corp DMGT Trinity Mirror Northern & Shell Telegraph Media Group Guardian Media Group Lebedev Pearson Source: National Readership Survey / Kantar Media analysis Note: Data represent the twelve months until March of the stated year. Title grouping is based on current ownership and is not retrospective. Readership of Lebedev titles in 2012 may be overstated, as it is not possible to de-duplicate readers of i and other Lebedev titles due to factoring. Trinity Mirror titles include the Daily Record and Sunday Mail. Pearson s Financial Times is no longer measured by NRS and is not included in data for

42 Figure 31 Reach of daily national newspapers, by media owner: April 2004-March 2014 (weekdays) Readership of daily newspapers has decreased, with News Corp and Trinity Mirror s tabloid titles accounting for the majority of the fall in readership. Reach (average issue readership) 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% News Corp DMGT Trinity Mirror Northern & Shell Telegraph Media Group Lebedev Guardian Media Group Pearson Source: National Readership Survey / Kantar Media analysis Note: Data represent the twelve months until March of the stated year. Title grouping is based on current ownership and is not retrospective. Readership of Lebedev titles in 2012 may be overstated, as it is not possible to de-duplicate readers of i and other titles due to factoring. Trinity Mirror includes the Daily Record. Pearson s Financial Times is no longer measured by NRS and is not included in data for

43 43 Figure 32 Reach of national newspapers, by media owner: April 2004-March 2014 (Sundays) The closure of the News of the World in July 2011 led to a significant drop in readership for News Corp s Sunday titles. Other tabloid publishers experienced a temporary growth in readership at that time. Reach (average issue readership) 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% News Corp DMGT Trinity Mirror Northern & Shell Telegraph Media Group Guardian Media Group Lebedev 0% Source: National Readership Survey / Kantar Media analysis Note: Data represent the twelve months until March of the stated year. Title grouping is based on current ownership and is not retrospective. Trinity Mirror includes the Sunday Mail.

44 44 Figure 33 Combined print and online* readership of daily newspapers The combined print and online readership of daily newspapers has fallen year on year, driven by declines in print readership. With print and online combined, the Daily Mail is now the most widelyread news title in the UK, as the gain from its digital-only readers exceeds the print readership of The Sun Readership (thousands) The Sun Daily Mail Metro Daily Mirror The Guardian The Daily Telegraph London Evening Standard The Times Daily Star Daily Express The Independent 3,621 3,149 2,316 2,094 1,822 1,334 1,299 1, ,289 6,232 3,324 2,930 2,071 2,125 1,614 1,191 1,166 1,214 1,327 Print only Print and website Website only 5,773 6,032 Source: Ofcom analysis of NRS/comScore PADD, March 2013, NRS average issue readership April March fused with comscore in March of each year. Note: The Independent 2014 includes print readership of i. *The data above includes only visits from laptop and desktop computers. Smartphone and tablet use is excluded because of Inconsistency of available data across devices and between browser use and application use.

45 Figure 34 Daily newspapers used for news nowadays The Sun is the most-read newspaper according to stated consumption. There have been decreases in stated consumption of both of the daily free-sheets since The Guardian has seen the biggest increase (from 5% to 9%). Proportion of those that use newspapers for news (40% of UK adults) The Sun The Daily Mail The Daily Mirror The Metro The Guardian The Times The Daily Telegraph The Daily Express The 'i' The Daily Star The Independent The Evening Standard The Daily Record The Financial Times 26% 25% 21% 19% 13% 13% 9% 12% 9% 5% 6% 9% 6% 8% 4% 6% 4% 3% 3% 5% 3% 3% 2% 5% 2% 4% 2% 1% Broadsheet 24% 24% Mid-market 25% 24% Tabloid 37% 37% Local daily 13% 11% Daily free-sheets 10% 13% Q5b) Thinking specifically about daily newspapers, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use newspapers for news (1160) * Daily free-sheets are the Metro and the Evening Standard

46 Figure 35 Weekly newspapers used for news nowadays The Sun on Sunday (13%) and The Mail on Sunday (12%) have the highest reach for news of all the Sunday papers. There have been no significant rises or falls for any individual newspapers since 2013, though there has been a decrease in those saying they use weekly free newspapers for news. Proportion of those who use newspapers for news (40% of UK adults) The Sun on Sunday The Mail on Sunday The Sunday Mirror The Sunday Times The Sunday Telegraph The Observer The People The Sunday Express 6% 7% 6% 7% 4% 5% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 3% 13% 13% 12% 12% Broadsheet 14% 14% Mid-market 14% 14% Tabloid 20% 22% Local weekly paid-for 6% 7% Local weekly free 3% 6% Q5c) Thinking specifically about weekly newspapers, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use newspapers for news (1160) Note: only sources with an incidence of 1% or more are shown

47 Figure 36 Attributes of newspaper sources among those who use each source Ratings vary across newspaper readers, with broadsheet and local press readers rating their print media sources more highly than other sources for being accurate and reliable. Local weekly paidfor newspapers are rated highly for importance (72% of users rate them highly) Proportion of users who rated the source highly (7-10) (%) 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 36% Sun/Sun on Sunday 51% Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday 45% Daily or Sunday Mirror 57% Your local daily 52% Times or Sunday Times 71% Guardian or Observer 54% Daily or Sunday Telegraph 41% Metro 72% Your local paid weekly 59% Daily or Sunday Express Importance Accurate & Reliable Trustworthy Impartial & unbiased Offers range of opinions Base: Those who use platform to access the news nowadays on each type (varies) Only includes bases over 50. Note: News sources are ordered by consumption levels.

48 8 News consumption via the internet

49 Figure 37 Websites or apps used for news nowadays Three in five (59%) of those who use the internet for news use the BBC website or app - an increase since 2013 (52%). Google news has decreased since 2013, with the removal of Google Reader. Proportion of those that use the internet for news (41% of UK adults) BBC website or app Google (search engine) Facebook Sky News website or app Twitter Daily Mail website or app Google news Guardian\Observer ITV or ITN website or app Yahoo news MSN news Any local newspaper site Huffington Post 59% 52% 18% 16% 17% 19% 17% 14% 9% 10% 8% 8% 7% Google reader ceased in % 7% 6% 5% 5% 4% % 4% % 4% 3% 3% 3% Aggregators = 15% (25%) Social media = 20% (23%) Search engines = 19% (16%) (2013 figures in brackets) The Telegraph website 2% 3% Q5e) Thinking specifically about the internet, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use internet for news (1029) Note: only sources with an incidence of over 3% are shown. Note: Aggregators includes Google News, MSN News, Yahoo News, AOL News, Feedly, Flipboard, plus any other sites nominated by respondents. Social media includes Facebook and Twitter. Search engines include Google and any other search engine nominated by respondents

50 Figure 38 Types of ways to access and use news through internet or apps Reading news stories online is still the most common way of accessing news on the internet, at 60%, and is higher than in 2013 (54%). Accessing news through social networking sites has decreased to 23%, lower than in Read news stories online Read comments or articles on blogs or social media Use a search engine to find out about a particular news story or subject Watch TV news online Watch news related video clips Share existing news related video clips Share existing comments or articles on blogs or social media 14% 16% 10% 3% 10% 8% 23% 27% 21% 18% 20% 20% 60% 54% Receive alerts or notifications of news Listen to radio news online Post your own news related comments or articles on blogs, social networking sites or apps Listen to news podcasts Subscribe to personalised news information i.e. choosing which topics you get information from Watch news podcasts Use a 'news ticker' or rolling news across your screen Post your own news related video clips Q6a) In which types of ways do you access and use news through the internet or apps nowadays? Base: All who use any internet for news nowadays (1029) Base 2013: All who use any internet for news nowadays (857) 6% 5% 6% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 3% 3% 3% 4% 2% 2% 1% 4%

51 Figure 39 Types of ways to access and use news through internet or apps, by age Accessing news through social media (i.e. blogs, social networking) is four times more common among 16-24s than among over-55s (28% v 7%) Read news stories online Read comments or articles on blogs or social media Use a search engine to find out about a particular news story or subject Watch TV news online Watch news related video clips Share existing news related video clips Share existing comments or articles on blogs or social media Receive alerts or notifications of news 23% 28% 7% 21% 25% 23% 20% 21% 17% 14% 12% 12% 10% 6% 4% 10% 6% 4% 6% 5% 4% 60% 54% 62% (33% in 2103) Listen to radio news online Post your own news related comments or articles on blogs, social networking sites or apps Listen to news podcasts Subscribe to personalised news information i.e. choosing which topics you get information from Watch news podcasts Use a 'news ticker' or rolling news across your screen Post your own news related video clips 6% 8% 5% 5% 6% 0% 3% 2% 2% 3% 5% 1% 3% 4% 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 2% 0% All UK Q6a) In which types of ways do you access and use news through the internet or apps nowadays? Base: All who use any internet for news nowadays (1029)

52 Figure 40 Use of social media for news nowadays Three in ten (29%) 16-34s who use the internet for news use social media for their news significantly higher than any other age group. Women are more likely than men to use social media for news (25% vs. 15%) Proportion of those who use the internet for news (41% of UK adults) Male Female 15% 25% % 1% 8% 10% 19% 30% 29% ABC1 C2DE 19% 21% Q5e) Thinking specifically about the internet, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use internet for news (1029)

53 Figure 41 Attributes for website/app sources among those who use each source In general, website news users are more likely than users of news on other platforms to see their chosen source as offering a range of opinions ; this is particularly notable for users of Twitter and Facebook. Proportion of users who rated the source highly (7-10) (%) BBC website or app Facebook Sky News website or app Twitter Daily Mail website or app YouTube Guardian or Observer website or app Google News Base: Those who use platform to access the news nowadays on each type (varies) Only includes bases over 50. Note: News sources are ordered by consumption levels. 42% 40% 48% 54% 55% 56% 53% 58% 61% 62% 65% 66% 64% 59% Importance Accurate & Reliable Trustworthy Impartial & unbiased Offers range of opinions 57% 67%

54 54 Figure 42 Unique audience* for the top 20 selected news sites in the UK, March 2014 News content on bbc.co.uk has the highest unique audience of news websites in the UK. Newspapers websites also have a significant number of desktop/laptop users, with the Daily Mail leading, followed closely by The Guardian site and then The Daily Telegraph. Unique audience (thousands) BBC DAILYMAIL.CO.UK THEGUARDIAN.COM TELEGRAPH.CO.UK Yahoo! MIRROR.CO.UK INDEPENDENT.CO.UK Newsquest Media Group Johnston Press Plc BUZZFEED.COM METRO.CO.UK Local World Sites CNN MSN News Sky News New York Times Digital EXPRESS.CO.UK NBC News Digital HUFFINGTONPOST.CO.UK* THESUN.CO.UK 5,335 5,154 4,864 3,976 3,242 3,205 3,192 3,086 2,512 2,394 1,960 1,882 1,818 1,601 1,517 1,399 8,709 11,016 10,324 10, Source: ComScore, March 2014, Adults 15+. Internet use at work and home, on desktop and laptop only. * Smartphone and tablet use is excluded because of Inconsistency of available data across devices and between browser use and application use. Note: Figures for the BBC and Yahoo! refer to the de-duplicated audience of news-specific sites in their respective reporting categories. Newsquest, Johnston Media and New York Times Digital are aggregate audiences of reporting local titles.

55 55 Figure 43 Online PC/laptop reach* for top 20 selected news sites in the UK, March 2014 The BBC news site has the highest reach, followed closely by the Daily Mail, then The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. Each of these sites were visited by at least a fifth of desktop/laptop users in March Reach (%) Source: ComScore, March 2014, Adults 15+. Internet use at work and home, on desktop and laptop only. * Smartphone and tablet use is excluded because of Inconsistency of available data across devices and between browser use and application use. Reach is defined as the proportion of the total online audience aged 15+ who have visited the relevant site at least once in the reporting month. Note: Figures for the BBC and Yahoo! refer to the de-duplicated audience of news-specific sites in their respective reporting categories. Newsquest, Johnston Media and New York Times Digital are aggregate audiences of reporting local titles.

56 9 Attitudes towards news topics and reasons for following news

57 Figure 44 Comparison of personal interest and societal importance of news topics People are likely to say that a range of news topics are of societal importance rather than personal interest, with the exception of the weather, sports and local events. 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Societal importance Personally interested in 49% 49% 49% 48% 49% 45% 43% 38% 36% 37% 37% 36% 35% 35% 35% 32% 34% 30% 28% 32% 35% 29% 29% 26% 26% 25% 23% 23% 24% 24% 23% 21% 17% 17% 19% 13% 12% 11% Q1b) Which types of news are you personally interested in? Q1c) Now thinking about everybody in the UK, not just about your own point of view, which types of news do you think are important for people to know about? Base: All adults 16+ in UK (2731)

58 58 Figure 45 Personal interest in selected types of news, by gender and age Those aged are less likely than those aged 35 and over to say they are personally interested in politics. Those aged 55 and over are more likely than any other age group to say they are personally interested in current affairs and local/regional news. 100% 80% 60% 40% 44% 49% 39% 36% 50% 46% 58% 68% 61% 60% 56% 57% 53% 49% 45% 40% 64% 55% 20% 0% Any mention of politics Any mention of current affairs Any mention of local/region All UK Male Female Q1b) Which types of news are you personally interested in? Base: All adults 16+ in England (1641), in Scotland(363), in Wales (359) and in Northern Ireland (351)

59 Figure 46 Reasons for following news Close to three in five say they follow the news to know what s going on in the world or in the UK. To know what's going on around the world To know what's going on across the UK To know what's going on in my local area To know what's going on in respective nations Because it's important to keep informed about certain issues For information about daily life, e.g. travel, health, taxes, Because it allows me to form opinions on the important To get different perspectives on what's happening Out of habit - it's part of my routine Because it gives me something to talk about with others To be knowledgeable for my job\work\studies Because it provides some fun and entertainment To pass the time when waiting, commuting or bored I don't follow news 6% 58% 56% 49% 46% 42% 35% 32% 31% 24% 22% 22% 15% 15% Q2) Thinking about some of the reasons people might have for following news, which of these reasons apply to you? Base: All adults 16+ in UK (2731 in 2014, 2379 in 2012)

60 Figure 47 Reasons for following news: 16-24s vs. over-55s Broadly, the order of reasons for following the news remains broadly similar for 16-24s as for over- 55s, although over -55s are more likely to cite the majority of these reasons. To know what's going on around the world To know what's going on across the UK To know what's going on in my local area To know what's going on in respective nations Because I feel it s important to keep informed about certain For information about daily life, e.g. travel, health, taxes, Because it allows me to form opinions on the important issues To get different perspectives on what's happening Out of habit - it's part of my routine To be knowledgeable for my job/work/studies Because it gives me something to talk about with others Because it provides some fun and entertainment To pass the time when I'm waiting/travelling/commuting/bored I don't follow news 43% 45% 36% 34% 32% 46% 25% 37% 24% 35% 26% 33% 17% 26% 22% 12% 19% 24% 15% 12% 17% 9% 9% 4% 55% 53% 62% 64% Q2) Thinking about some of the reasons people might have for following news, which of these reasons apply to you? Base: All adults 16+ in UK (2731 in 2014, 2379 in 2012)

61 10 Local media use

62 62 Figure 48 Use of local media sources, weekly and monthly Regional / local news on television is the most-used local media source, with over three-quarters (77%) using it at least weekly. Regional & local news on television Local commercial radio Internet for local news information Local news & information on BBC local radio Paid for local newspaper Free local newspaper Local magazines (free or paid for) Local news websites/apps Local community websites/apps 14% 18% 14% 15% 10% 42% 37% 47% 35% 37% 31% 36% 29% 43% 31% 33% 81% 77% At least weekly use: Any local newspaper 49% Any local radio 50% Any local online sources 39% At least monthly use: Any local newspaper 61% Any local radio 56% Any local online sources 51% At least monthly At least weekly Source: Ofcom local media omnibus, 2014 Q.LM03: On average, how frequently do you do each of the following things? Base: All adults aged 15+ (2152). Note: Local is defined as the area in which you live ; regional is defined as your local area and surrounding areas in the wider region.

63 Figure 49 Personal importance of local media sources As well as being the most frequently used, regional and local news on television is more likely to be considered personally important to regular local media users. The internet is equally as important as BBC local radio and paid-for local newspapers. Regional & local news on television Local news & information on BBC local radio Local commercial radio Paid for local newspaper Free local newspaper Local magazines (free or paid for) Local news websites/apps Local community websites/apps Internet for local news information % 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Source: Ofcom local media omnibus, 2014 Q.LM04: How important is <> to you personally? 1= Not at all important to you and you would not miss it if it was no longer available; 10 = Extremely important and you would miss it if it was no longer available Base: All adults aged 15+ who use local media once a month or more. 63

64 Figure 50 Personal importance of local media Regional and local news on television is considered to be the most important type of local media by four in ten (40%) regular local news users. Any online sources are most important to 16% of regular local news users. Regional & local news on television Local news & information on BBC radio Local commercial radio Paid for local newspaper Free local newspaper Local magazine Local news websites/apps Local community websites/apps Internet for local news information % 20% 40% 60% Most important Important Important Any local online sources 44% Any local radio 42% Any local newspaper 42% Most important Any local online sources 19% Any local newspaper 17% Any local radio 13% Source: Ofcom local media omnibus 2014 LM04: How important are the following types of local media to you? (Scale Net 7-10 ratings displayed) LM05: And of all the local media sources you use [at least once a month) which one would you say is the most important to you personally? Base: All UK adults 15+ who use all local media once a month or more. 64