Print Still Dominates Local Newspaper Reading

Just over half (55%) of the US newspaper audience still reads their local newspaper in print only -- with no overlapping digital consumption. That's according to a new survey of 150 US media markets conducted by Scarborough on behalf of the Newspaper Association of America.

It found another 15% read their local newspapers both in print and online, while an additional 10% read newspaper content on a mobile device, as well as print and online. Just 4% read their newspaper in print and mobile, eschewing other online consumption. Given all these numbers, it’s easy to deduce that the digital-only newspaper audience (including people who avoid print and only read newspapers online, via mobile devices, or both) actually remains fairly small. Indeed, just 7% of those surveyed said they read their local newspaper only online, while just 3% read it with a mobile device, and a mere 5% read it both online and with a mobile device. That works out to 15% of the local newspaper audience using only digital channels.