The gap between Internet and television as adult American’s main source of news, national or international is getting smaller. New research shows 41% get most of their news about national and international news from the Internet, up 17 points since 2007. The latest US national survey by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press conducted in December 2010 shows television remains the most widely used source for national and international news, employed by 66% of Americans, yet down from 74% three years ago and 82% in 2002.
The survey conducted among 1,500 adults reached on cell phones and landlines also showed an increase in the number of people using Internet over newspapers as their main source of news. While rather low, the numbers of people citing radio as their main source of national and international news has remained relatively stable in recent years and is now 16% of Americans.
the 30 to 49 age group shows Internet likely to catch and then surpass television withing the next years, while currently it is at 48%, up 16% since 2007. The same growing trend for Internet as a news source was noticed in people with ages between 50 and 64.
From an educational perspective, college graduates get most of their national and international news from both the Internet (51%) and television (54%). Those with some college are just as likely as college grads to cite the Internet as their main source (51%), while 63% cite television. Only 29% of those with no more than a high school education cite the Internet while more than twice as many (75%) cite television.
Household incomes also affect choices of news sources – those with household incomes of $75,000 or more get most of their news on the Internet (54%) and from television (57%). People with household incomes under $30,000 are far more likely to cite television (72%) than the Internet (34%).
About Alina Popescu
