News consumption in the UK: research report
25 June 2014
Note: This report was reissued on 10 July 2017. It corrects a previous misallocation of Channel 5's wholesale and retail news.
News consumption in the UK: research report 25 June 2014 Note: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
News consumption in the UK: research report 25 June 2014 Note: This report was reissued on 10 July 2017. It corrects a previous misallocation of Channel 5's wholesale and retail news. Introduction This summary slide pack provides the findings
Note: This report was reissued on 10 July 2017. It corrects a previous misallocation of Channel 5's wholesale and retail news.
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
‘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
Mori, about local media;
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Section Page 1 News consumption by platform 4 2 Use of multiple sources across platforms 11 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 58 10 Local media use 52 11 News consumption in the nations 69
75% 41% 40% 36% 25% 13% 21% 11% 5% 4% 5% 78% 32% 40% 35% 14% 11% 6% 4% 7% 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 2014 2013
% of adults in UK 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 most- used platform for news consumption. News consumption by any type of internet platform (41%) is now on a par with newspaper and radio consumption.
Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? 2014 Base: All adults 16+ (2731). 2013 Base: All adults 16+ (2862) *Any internet or apps is an aggregate of all internet devices. **Tablet usage not asked separately in 2013 34% amongst those with a Smartphone 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%
56% 60% 36% 21% 29% 15% 40% 15% 5% 2% 10% 90% 21% 54% 41% 12% 7% 4% 8% 4% 3% 3%
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 16-24 55+
Those aged 16–24 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
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.
Q3a)/Q3aa) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults 16+ (2013 – 2862, 2014 - 2731)
* These averages are calculated from the 8 platforms used for news nowadays asked at Q3a, to allow for comparison of trend
95% 75% 40% 36% 41% 90% 78% 40% 35% 32% Any of the four main platforms Television Newspapers Radio Internet (any device) 2014 2013 % of adults in UK The average number of platforms used nowadays for news is 2.2 (2.1 in 2013)* 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.
Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? 2014 Base: All adults 16+ (2731), 2013 Base: All adults 16+ (2862)
‘TV only’ has decreased slightly since 2013, with just under one in five (18%) using only TV for
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 16-24 use internet only for news, compared to 1% of those aged 55+.
18% 13% 9% 9% 9% 8% 7% 7% 5% 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 1% 5% 22% 14% 10% 7% 5% 8% 6% 6% 4% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 0% 10% TV only TV + Newspapers TV + Newspapers + Radio TV + Internet Internet only TV + Radio TV + Radio + Newspapers +… TV + Radio + Internet TV + Internet + Newspapers Newspapers only Radio only Internet + Newspapers Internet + Radio Radio + Newspapers Internet + Radio + Newspapers None of the above 2014 2013
TV only Internet
16-24 13% 19% 55+ 20% 1% AB 9% 9% DE 28% 5% Proportion of each demographic that use TV only and internet only
Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults 16+ (2731)
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% Radio 36% Internet 41% Newspapers 40% 9% 13% 8% 2% 2% 9% 7% 7% 9% 18% 2% 2% 1% 5% 1%
None of the above = 5%
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 3.8.
Q5a to Q5e Base: All who use each platform for news nowadays (TV=2136, Newspapers=1160, Radio=990, Internet=1029, All platforms=2580).
3.8 average across platforms (3.7)
Average number of news sources used nowadays per platform 2013 figures in brackets
(1.9) (2.1) (1.4) (1.9)
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.
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
26% 29% 21% 12% 7% 2% 1% 0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 1 provider 2 providers 3 providers 4 providers 5 providers 6 providers 7 providers 8+ providers 76% use 3 or fewer 55% use 1 or 2 providers 22% use 4 or more 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.
26% 27% 19% 11% 8% 4% 2% 1% 1% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 1 provider 2 providers 3 providers 4 providers 5 providers 6 providers 7 providers 8 providers 9+ providers
RETAIL
27% use 4 or more providers 72% use 3 or fewer 52% use 1 or 2 providers At a retail level, 72% of news consumers use three or fewer news sources. There have been no changes since 2013.
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.
The number of sources used across platforms, proportion of respondents(%) (2013 figures in brackets) 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. 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.
The number of sources used across platforms, proportion of respondents (%) Of those who use each platform for news, those in the 16-34 age group are more likely than those in the 55+ age group to use just one source. Number of sources used All platforms 16-34 year olds 55+ 1 20% 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 3.8 3.9 3.8
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 2014
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.
4% 4% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 7% 7% 7% 8% 8% 9% 9% 10% 11% 16% 17% 24% 33% 53% The Guardian The Metro The Mail on Sunday BBC Two Any local daily paper The Daily Mirror The Sun on Sunday Sky News website or app Facebook BBC Radio 1 Google (Search engine) Channel 4 BBC Radio 4 The Daily Mail BBC Radio 2 The Sun BBC News Channel Sky News Channel BBC website or app ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV BBC One TV Channel Newspaper Radio Station Website / app 16% in 2013 57% in 2013
Q5a to Q5e Base: All who use any source for news nowadays (2553)
76% (78%) of news consumers use three or fewer providers 26% (27%) use one provider only
16% (12%)
6% (8%)
16-24 55+ AB DE 7% (7%) 7% (10%) 4% (5%) 9% (10%) Proportion of each demographic that use only BBC One as a news source (2013 figures in brackets) 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 2013.
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.
Eight in ten (80%) of those who use any news source use any BBC source. There have been no shifts since 2013. Cross-platform reach (%)
79% 43% 28% 19% 17% 10% 5% 5% 6% 5% 35% 80% 41% 28% 17% 18% 9% 6% 5% 4% 4% 1% 39%
2013 2014
WHOLESALE
‘Other’ includes 273 sources (all below 2%) 33 TV stations (Mostly foreign) 153 local papers (Not DMGT or Trinity) 74 websites or apps
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.
Eight in ten (80%) of those who use any news source use any BBC source. There have been no shifts since 2013.
79% 37% 19% 19% 17% 11% 9% 9% 9% 9% 8% 5% 5% 5% 5% 24% 80% 36% 22% 17% 18% 9% 9% 7% 9% 7% 9% 8% 6% 5% 4% 1% 29%
2013 2014 Cross-platform reach (%)
RETAIL
Other includes 252 sources (all below 2%) 33 TV stations (mostly foreign) 153 local papers (not DMGT or Trinity) 65 websites or apps
34%
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 2014
The proportion of UK adults who say BBC One is their single most important news source is lower than in 2013 (28% vs. 34%). 16-24s place more importance on websites/apps than in 2013 (45% vs 30%).
28 12 5 5 9 4 3 2 2 2 28 20 6 2 4 18 7 5 4 34 40 14 6 3 2 6 2 2 25
10 20 30 40 50
BBC One ITV1/ITV WALES/ UTV/STV BBC News Channel Sky News Channel BBC website
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 2 Facebook The Sun BBC Radio 1 Others*
All UK 16-24 55+ Proportion of respondents (%)
2013 all UK %:
5% All UK 16-24 (2013 figures in brackets) 55+ (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%
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%
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 socio- economic group. Proportion of respondents (%)
28 12 5 5 9 4 3 2 2 2 28 31 5 5 5 13 7 3 2 1 1 27 28 22 4 6 4 1 3 2 4 1 25
10 20 30 40 50
BBC One ITV1/ITV WALES/ UTV/STV BBC News Channel Sky News Channel BBC website or app BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 2 Facebook The Sun BBC Radio 1 Others*
All UK AB DE 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%
2013 all UK %:
5% 34%
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.
Over half (52%) cite a BBC source as their most important news source. This is followed by ITN (14%) and Sky (9%). There have been no shifts since 2013. Proportion of respondents (%)
WHOLESALE
53% 15% 8% 3% 3% 1% 1% 1% 1% 11% 52% 14% 9% 4% 3% 1% 1% 1% 12%
2013 2014
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:
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
47% 21% 18% 13% 42% 27% 19% 12% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Television Internet or apps Radio Newspapers 2013 2014
Base: All who use a news source nowadays (2553)
TV has a 42% share of references, down from 47% in 2013. The internet has a 27% share of references, up from 21% in 2013. Proportion of respondents (%)
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.
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.
42% 13% 14% 4% 4% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 15% 43% 15% 12% 4% 4% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 16%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
2013 2014
WHOLESALE
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.
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 2013.
44% 11% 7% 7% 5% 4% 4% 2% 2% 3% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 5% 43% 10% 7% 7% 5% 4% 4% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
2013 2014
RETAIL
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, 2010-2013 data based on Network. New BARB panel introduced 1st Jan 2010. As a result pre and post panel change data must be viewed with caution (see dotted line)
BARB data shows that the majority of news viewing on TV is through the BBC channels, and this has increased since 2009. 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 (%) 59.2% 59.7% 60.6% 62.1% 63.5% 9.0% 12.5% 13.9% 13.0% 12.2% 18.5% 15.9% 13.0% 12.8% 12.9% 4.2% 3.5% 3.3% 3.1% 2.8%
2.4% 1.9% 1.9% 2.1% 1.8%
6.4% 6.2% 6.9% 6.4% 6.4% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Proportion of national/intl news viewing, % Other Sky News Channel 5 Channel 4 ITV BBC News BBC One and Two
Total hours per head 114 119 121 115 115
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, 2010-2013 data based on Network. New BARB panel introduced 1st Jan 2010. As a result pre and post panel change data must be viewed with caution (see dotted line)
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. 16-24s watch an average of 27 hours of news compared to the all-UK total of 115 hours. Proportion of ‘national and international news’ viewing (%) 47.6% 51.5% 48.6% 55.1% 55.3% 10.5% 11.2% 16.1% 11.1% 9.9%
23.8% 19.9% 17.3% 17.7% 18.0% 7.2% 7.0% 6.3% 5.8% 5.8%
2.8% 2.4% 2.6% 3.0% 2.6% 6.8% 6.9% 7.8% 5.6% 6.7% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Proportion of national/intl news viewing, % Other Sky News Channel 5 Channel 4 ITV BBC News BBC One and Two
Total hours per head 31 33 32 28 27
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, 2010-2013 data based on Network. New BARB panel introduced 1st Jan 2010. As a result pre and post panel change data must be viewed with caution (see dotted line)
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 (%) 62.3% 62.5% 63.6% 64.2% 66.0% 8.7% 12.1% 13.2% 12.8% 12.3%
17.3% 15.5% 12.9% 13.0% 12.5% 4.0% 2.9% 2.8% 2.5% 2.3%
2.5% 2.1% 2.0% 2.1% 1.8% 4.9% 4.8% 5.2% 5.0% 4.8% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Proportion of national/intl news viewing, % Other Sky News Channel 5 Channel 4 ITV BBC News BBC One and Two
Total hours per head 192 194 200 193 196
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
71% 43% 23% 21% 11% 7% 4% 4% 4% 2% 1% 73% 43% 20% 21% 10% 6% 5% 3% 2% 2% BBC One ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV Sky News Channel BBC News Channel Channel 4 BBC Two Channel 5 Al Jazeera (English version) BBC Three CNN Russia Today
2014 2013
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)
*
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)
29% 19% 30% 26% 8% 12% 7% 49% 49% 35% 35% 39% 37% 33% 8% 10% 10% 8% 12% 10% 9% 10% 12% 12% 14% 20% 20% 15% 3% 5% 7% 11% 16% 10% 18% 0% 1% 6% 6% 6% 10% 18% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
BBC One (1547) ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV (1029) BBC News Channel (392) Sky News Channel (476) 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
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 (%)
61% 51% 58% 42% 33% 47% 65% 60% 64% 59% 43% 50% 63% 58% 63% 63% 44% 53% 51% 51% 54% 55% 45% 42% 55% 53% 58% 58% 49% 53%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% BBC Television ITV Sky News Channel Channel 4 (TV Channel) Channel 5 Al Jazeera
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.
Proportion of users who rated the source highly (7-10) (%) Among users of the most-used TV news outlets, around one half rate them highly across the range
for impartiality by their users.
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
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%).
28% 25% 20% 8% 8% 7% 6% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 23% 22% 18% 9% 8% 12% 8% 6% 3% 4% 3% 2% 2% 2%
BBC Radio 2 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
2014 2013
Proportion of those that use radio for news (36% of UK adults)
Of those who use either type for news:
BBC Ulster = 45% Commercial radio = 39% Any BBC Radio = 75% (61%) (68%) (43%) UK-wide BBC Radio = 68% BBC Scotland = 24% BBC Wales/Cymru = 20%
2013 figures in brackets
(16%) (9%) (38%)
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
Proportion of users who rated the source highly (7-10) (%) BBC radio news listeners are more likely than commercial radio news listeners to rate its news
63% 44% 72% 54% 70% 58% 65% 49% 66% 46% BBC Radio Commercial Radio Importance Accurate & Reliable Trustworthy Impartial & unbiased Offers range of opinions
40
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 65+ 55-64 45-54 All adults 35-44 25-34 15-24
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 2014.
Reach (average issue readership)
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 2004. 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.
41
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 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
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 2014
Reach (average issue readership) 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 2014.
42
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 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 2014.
Reach (average issue readership) Readership of daily newspapers has decreased, with News Corp and Trinity Mirror’s tabloid titles accounting for the majority of the fall in readership.
43
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 News Corp DMGT Trinity Mirror Northern & Shell Telegraph Media Group Guardian Media Group Lebedev
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.
Reach (average issue readership) 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.
7,289 6,232 3,621 3,149 2,316 2,094 1,822 1,334 1,299 1,220 902 2000 4000 6000 8000 The Sun Daily Mail Metro Daily Mirror The Guardian The Daily Telegraph London Evening Standard The Times Daily Star Daily Express The Independent Print only Print and website Website only
44
Source: Ofcom analysis of NRS/comScore PADD, March 2013, 2014. 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.
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 widely- read news title in the UK, as the gain from its digital-only readers exceeds the print readership of The Sun. Readership (thousands) 5,773 6,032 3,324 2,930 2,071 2,125 1,614 1,191 1,166 1,214 1,327 2000 4000 6000 8000 2013 2014
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
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 2013. The Guardian has seen the biggest increase (from 5% to 9%). Proportion of those that use newspapers for news (40% of UK adults)
26% 21% 13% 9% 9% 6% 6% 4% 4% 3% 3% 2% 2% 2% 25% 19% 13% 12% 5% 9% 8% 6% 3% 5% 3% 5% 4% 1%
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
2014 2013 2014 2013 “Broadsheet” 24% 24% Mid-market 25% 24% “Tabloid” 37% 37% Local daily 13% 11% Daily ‘free-sheets’ 10% 13%
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 13% 12% 6% 6% 4% 3% 3% 2% 13% 12% 7% 7% 5% 3% 2% 3% The Sun on Sunday The Mail on Sunday The Sunday Mirror The Sunday Times The Sunday Telegraph The Observer The People The Sunday Express 2014 2013
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) 2014 2013 Broadsheet 14% 14% Mid-market 14% 14% Tabloid 20% 22% Local weekly paid-for 6% 7% Local weekly free 3% 6%
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.
Proportion of users who rated the source highly (7-10) (%) 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 paid- for newspapers are rated highly for importance (72% of users rate them highly)
36% 51% 45% 57% 52% 71% 54% 41% 72% 59% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Sun/Sun on Sunday Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday Daily or Sunday Mirror Your local daily Times or Sunday Times Guardian or Observer Daily or Sunday Telegraph Metro Your local paid weekly Daily or Sunday Express Importance Accurate & Reliable Trustworthy Impartial & unbiased Offers range of opinions
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
nominated by respondents
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)
59% 18% 17% 17% 9% 8% 7% 7% 5% 4% 4% 4% 3% 3% 52% 16% 19% 14% 10% 8% 13% 6% 5% 10% 4% 3% 3% 2% 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 The Telegraph website… 2014 2013 Google reader ceased in 2013
Aggregators = 15% (25%) Social media = 20% (23%) Search engines = 19% (16%) (2013 figures in brackets)
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)
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 2013.
8% 3% 16% 20% 18% 27% 54% 10% 10% 14% 20% 21% 23% 60%
Share existing comments or articles on blogs or social media Share existing news related video clips Watch news related video clips Watch TV news online Use a search engine to find
story or subject Read comments or articles on blogs or social media Read news stories online
4% 2% 4% 3% 2% 4% 6% 5% 1% 2% 3% 3% 3% 5% 6% 6%
Post your own news related video clips Use a 'news ticker' or rolling news across your screen Watch news podcasts Subscribe to personalised news information i.e. choosing which topics you get information from… Listen to news podcasts Post your own news related comments or articles on blogs, social networking sites or apps… Listen to radio news online Receive email alerts or notifications of news
2014 2013
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)
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%)
4% 4% 4% 12% 17% 23% 7% 62% 5% 6% 6% 12% 21% 25% 28% 54%
6% 10% 10% 14% 20% 21% 23% 60% Receive email alerts or notifications of news Share existing comments or articles on blogs or social media Share existing news related video clips Watch news related video clips Watch TV news online Use a search engine to find
story or subject Read comments or articles on blogs or social media Read news stories online 0% 2% 2% 1% 2% 0% 5% 2% 2% 4% 5% 2% 6% 8%
1% 2% 3% 3% 3% 5% 6%
Post your own news related video clips Use a 'news ticker' or rolling news across your screen Watch news podcasts Subscribe to personalised news information i.e. choosing which topics you get information from… Listen to news podcasts Post your own news related comments or articles on blogs, social networking sites or apps… Listen to radio news online
All UK 16-24 55+
(33% in 2103)
Q5e) Thinking specifically about the internet, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use internet for news (1029)
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%)
15% 25% 30% 29% 19% 10% 8% 0% 1% 19% 21% Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-54 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+ ABC1 C2DE
Proportion of those who use the internet for news (41% of UK adults)
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.
Proportion of users who rated the source highly (7-10) (%) 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.
61% 48% 62% 42% 56% 58% 59% 53% 65% 54% 66% 55% 40% 64% 67% 57% 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 Importance Accurate & Reliable Trustworthy Impartial & unbiased Offers range of opinions
54
1,399 1,517 1,601 1,818 1,882 1,960 2,394 2,512 3,086 3,192 3,205 3,242 3,976 4,864 5,154 5,335 8,709 10,253 10,324 11,016
2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000
THESUN.CO.UK HUFFINGTONPOST.CO.UK* NBC News Digital EXPRESS.CO.UK New York Times Digital Sky News MSN News CNN Local World Sites METRO.CO.UK BUZZFEED.COM Johnston Press Plc Newsquest Media Group INDEPENDENT.CO.UK MIRROR.CO.UK Yahoo! TELEGRAPH.CO.UK THEGUARDIAN.COM DAILYMAIL.CO.UK BBC
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.
Unique audience (thousands) 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.
55
28 26 26 22 13 13 12 10 8 8 8 8 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 20 40
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
Reach (%) 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 2014.
49% 49% 49% 48% 45% 43% 38% 36% 35% 35% 34% 30% 29% 29% 26% 26% 25% 24% 19% 37% 37% 32% 35% 49% 28% 32% 17% 36% 35% 23% 23% 13% 24% 17% 21% 12% 23% 11%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Societal importance Personally interested in
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.
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)
44% 58% 53% 49% 61% 49% 39% 56% 57% 36% 45% 40% 46% 60% 55% 50% 68% 64% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Any mention of politics Any mention of current affairs Any mention of local/region All UK Male Female 16-34 35-54 55+
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)
Those aged 16-34 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.
58
58% 56% 49% 46% 42% 35% 32% 31% 24% 22% 22% 15% 15% 6% 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 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)
Close to three in five say they follow the news to know what’s going on in the world or in the UK.
43% 45% 36% 34% 32% 25% 24% 26% 17% 22% 19% 15% 17% 9% 62% 64% 55% 53% 46% 37% 35% 33% 26% 12% 24% 12% 9% 4% 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 16 - 24 55+ 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)
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.
62
10% 14% 14% 31% 29% 31% 35% 37% 77% 15% 18% 33% 43% 36% 37% 47% 42% 81% Local community websites/apps Local news websites/apps Local magazines (free or paid for) Free local newspaper Paid for local newspaper Local news & information on BBC local radio Internet for local news information Local commercial radio Regional & local news on television 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”.
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% Regional / local news on television is the most-used local media source, with over three-quarters (77%) using it at least weekly.
63
28 38 31 40 37 26 36 31 20 29 30 36 33 31 30 31 28 26 27 22 23 18 20 27 21 25 33 15 9 10 9 12 16 12 16 20 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Internet for local news information Local community websites/apps Local news websites/apps Local magazines (free or paid for) Free local newspaper Paid for local newspaper Local commercial radio Local news & information on BBC local radio Regional & local news on television 1-4 5-6 7-8 9-10
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.
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.
64
42 31 32 27 32 43 33 41 53 16 1 2 3 7 9 6 8 40 0% 20% 40% 60% Internet for local news information Local community websites/apps Local news websites/apps Local magazine Free local newspaper Paid for local newspaper Local commercial radio Local news & information on BBC radio Regional & local news on television Most important Important
Source: Ofcom local media omnibus 2014 LM04: How important are the following types of local media to you? (Scale 1 – 10. 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.
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% 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.
65
14 21 21 22 19 17 18 15 11 33 33 37 39 39 34 40 34 30 36 31 29 27 29 30 27 31 39 16 13 11 12 13 19 14 18 20 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Internet for local news information Local community websites/apps Local news websites/apps Local magazines (free or paid for) Free local newspaper Paid for local newspaper Local commercial radio Local news & information on BBC local radio Regional & local news on television 1-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 Don't know
Source: Ofcom local media omnibus, 2014 Q.LM07: How satisfied are you with … 10=Extremely satisfied and 1= extremely dissatisfied. Base: All adults aged 15+ who use local media once a month or more
Local media users are most satisfied with regional and local news on television, with six in ten (59%) regular local media users rating TV between 7 and 10 out of 10.
66
42 31 32 27 32 43 33 41 53 51 44 40 39 42 49 41 49 59 0% 20% 40% 60% Internet for local news information Local community websites/apps Local news websites/apps Local magazine Free local newspaper Paid for local newspaper Local commercial radio Local news & information on BBC radio Regional & local news on television Satisfied Important
Source: Ofcom local media omnibus 2014 LM04: How important are the following types of local media to you? (Scale 1 – 10. Net 7-10 ratings displayed) LM07: How satisfied are you with the following types of local media? (Scale 1 – 10. Net 7-10 ratings displayed) Base: All UK adults 15+ who use all local media once a month or more.
Important (7-10) Any local online sources – 44% Any local radio – 42% Any local newspaper – 42% Satisfied (7-10) Any local online sources – 53% Any local newspaper – 49% Any local radio – 50%
Local media users are most likely to be satisfied with regional and local news on television, and rate it as more important than other sources.
67
9 7 11 15 17 19 15 11 12 48 44 43 17 18 15 22 22 20 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Internet for local news information Local community websites/apps Local news websites/apps Local magazines (free or paid for) 'Free’ local newspaper - print ‘Paid for’ local newspaper - print Local commercial radio Local news & information on BBC local radio Regional & local news on television Use more than 2 years ago Use less than 2 years ago
Source: Ofcom local media omnibus, 2014 Q.LM08: Compared to two years ago, would you say you are currently using local media sources more, less or about the same amount? Base: All adults aged 15+ who use local media once a month or more
Almost half of those who say they use local media say they use the internet for local news information now more than they did two years ago. Over one in five (22%) say they use radio more than they did two years ago.
% UK England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
Base 2152 1706 195 141 110
Regional and local news on television 77 76 84 82 77 Local commercial radio 37 36 39 40 52 Internet for local news information 35 35 35 35 43 Local news and information on BBC local radio 31 30 39 23 50 Paid-for local newspaper 29 26 45 35 42 Free local newspaper 31 36 15 15 7 Local magazines (free or paid) 14 15 10 11 5 Local news websites/apps 14 13 18 12 17 Local community websites/apps 10 10 14 2 11
Source: Ofcom local media omnibus, 2014. Q.LM03 Square box indicates statistically significant difference to UK findings
Weekly use of local media sources varies across the nations. People in Scotland are more likely to use regional/local news on TV on a weekly basis than the UK average. People in Scotland and Northern Ireland are more likely to use BBC local radio and paid-for local newspapers, and less likely to use free local newspapers than the UK average, along with people in Wales.
70
3% 5% 8% 24% 15% 28% 27% 44% 45% 86% 4% 4% 11% 13% 10% 18% 24% 36% 39% 81% 6% 5% 8% 11% 13% 20% 24% 33% 46% 75% 4% 5% 10% 11% 13% 21% 25% 36% 39% 75%
Interactive TV, Ceefax, TV apps Magazines Internet or apps on a desktop computer Word of mouth Internet or apps on tablet Internet or apps on a mobile Internet or apps on computer/laptop/netbook Radio Newspapers Television England Scotland Wales N Ireland Q3a) Which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base 2014: All adults 16+ who follow the news (2731), England (1641); Scotland (363); Wales (376); NI (351) Base 2013: All adults 16+ who follow the news (2862), England (1764), Scotland (361), Wales (385), NI (352) * 2013 figures only shown where there are statistically significant differences between 2013 and 2014
People in Northern Ireland are more likely to use TV, radio, online sources and word of mouth than across the UK as a whole. Nearly half of all people in Scotland and Northern Ireland (46% and 45%) use newspapers for news. A quarter (24%) of people in Northern Ireland use word of mouth for news.
Any of the 4 main platforms Internet on any device England 94% 42% (↑31%) Scotland 93% 38% (↑29%) Wales 95% 39% N Ireland 98% 43%
↓(89%)
(2013 figures in brackets)*
↓(55%)
↑(13%) ↑(14%)
↓(36%) ↓(10%) ↓(9%)
Q5a) Thinking specifically about < >, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base 2014: All who use each news source (TV=2136, Newspapers=1160, Radio=990, Internet=1029). Base 2013: All who use each news source (TV=2033, Newspapers=1215, Radio=1198, Internet=926).
Average number of news sources used nowadays per platform England = 2.0 Scotland = 2.0 Wales = 2.1 N Ireland = 2.2 England = 1.9 Scotland = 1.9 Wales = 2.1 N Ireland = 2.0 England = 1.4 Scotland = 1.4 Wales = 1.4 N Ireland = 1.6 England = 1.9 Scotland = 1.9 Wales = 2.0 N Ireland = 2.3 England = 3.8 Scotland = 3.9 Wales = 4 Northern Ireland = 4.6 Adults in Northern Ireland use more news sources on average (4.6) than in the other nations.
(3.6) (3.9) (4) (5.2) (1.9) (1.8) (2.0) (2.2) (2.7) (2.0) (2.3) (2.0) (1.4) (1.3) (1.4) (1.5) (1.8) (1.9) (2.2) (2.4) (2013 figures in brackets)
52 14 9 3 4 1 1 1 12 53 13 9 3 4 2 1 1 1 12 46 16 8 2 2 1 1 2 15 53 16 8 1 2 1 2 12 47 22 7 1 3 1 1 16 20 40 60 UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland Base: All who use a news source nowadays in England (1538), Scotland (339), Wales (359) and Northern Ireland (344) 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: 2013 figures are in brackets, and shown where statistically different to 2014. Note: This wholesale category is derived from responses given about individual news titles.
People in Scotland are less likely than the UK as a whole to rate a BBC source as their most important news source (46% vs. 52% UK average). People in Northern Ireland are more likely to rate an ITN source as their most important news source. Cross-platform reach (%)
WHOLESALE
↓(23%) ↑(9%)
6.8 7.5 6.9 7.3 6.2 6.7 6.1 6.7 6.6 6.6 6.3 6.8 6.7 6.7 6.4 7.3 7.2 7.2 6.3 7.3 2 4 6 8 England Scotland Wales N Ireland Television Newspapers Radio Internet (computer) Internet (mobile)
Q3b Looking at the ways you say you use news nowadays, how important are the following to you personally when using news? Answer using a scale of 1 to 10, where, 1 is not at all important and 10 is absolutely essential. Base: All adults 16+ who use platform for news nowadays (TV/Newspapers/radio/internet(computer)/Internet(mobile)) in England (1238/663/570/391/317), Scotland (282/177/122/80/62), Wales (310/153/130/88), N Ireland (306/167/168/87) * In 2013 Iinternet (computer) included tablet. In 2014 this was split out as a separate code, but bases too low (under 50) in non-English nations to analyse
TV is considered of relatively higher importance for news among its users in Scotland and Northern Ireland than in England and Wales.
2013 figures
7.3 6.7 6.9 * 6.9 7.1 7.0 6.6 * 7.4 7.0 6.7 6.9 * 7.1 7.7 6.7 7.0 * 7.2
42% 12% 19% 27% 42% 11% 20% 27% 44% 14% 17% 25% 45% 11% 20% 24% 41% 13% 20% 26% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Television Newspapers Radio Internet UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Base 2014: All who use a news source nowadays in UK (2580) England (1538), Scotland (339), Wales (359) and Northern Ireland (344) Base 2013: All who use a news source nowadays in UK (2661) England (1618), Scotland (328), Wales (366) and Northern Ireland (349). Note: 2013 figures only shown where there are statistically significant differences between 2013 and 2014
The increase in the share of references for the internet since 2013 (27% vs 21% in 2013) is driven by England and Scotland. TV share in England is lower in 2014 (42%) than in 2013 (48%). Proportion of respondents (%)
↓(47%)
2013 figures
↑(21%) ↓(48%) ↑(21%) ↑(18%)
43 15 12 4 4 2 1 1 1 1 16 44 15 12 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 16 44 15 12 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 16 44 14 13 4 3 3 1 1 17 39 12 17 3 2 3 1 1 1 20 20 40 60 BBC Sky ITN DMGT News Corp Trinity Mirror Guardian Media Group Northern & Shell Telegraph Media Lebedev Foundation Pearson Other UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Base: All who use a news source nowadays in England (1538), Scotland (339), Wales (359) and Northern Ireland (344) 2013: England (1618), Scotland (328), Wales (366) and Northern Ireland (349) 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: 2013 figures only shown where there are statistically significant differences between 2013 and 2014. Note: This wholesale category is derived from responses given about individual news titles.
Trinity Mirror’s share of references in Scotland decreased from 6% in 2013 to 2% in 2014. Share of references is generally even across the nations, with the exception of ITN’s position in Northern Ireland.
WHOLESALE
Share of references (%)
(2013 figures in brackets)
↓(6%)
43 10 7 4 4 7 2 2 2 2 5 3 1 1 1 6
44 9 8 3 4 7 2 2 2 1 5 3 2 1 1 6 42 13 6 3 2 7 3 2 2 2 6 1 2 1 1 8 43 12 8 3 4 6 3 2 1 1 8 2 1 6 39 15 6 2 3 7 3 2 2 1 7 1 1 1 11 20 40 60
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland Share of references (%)
RETAIL
Base: All who use a news source nowadays in England (1538), Scotland (339), Wales (359) and Northern Ireland (344) 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’). Note: 2013 figures only shown where there are statistically significant differences between 2013 and 2014
The distribution of share of references is generally even across the nations, although alternative providers i.e. those included in ‘Other’, gain a higher share in Northern Ireland than England and
↓(7%)
↓
(2013 figures in brackets)
80 41 17 28 4 18 9 4 6 5 1 39 79 39 17 28 4 19 8 4 6 5 1 37 80 50 17 26 5 13 14 3 6 4 1 43 83 48 17 34 5 16 16 3 5 4 40 85 66 17 25 2 14 12 5 5 1 1 60
20 40 60 80 100
BBC ITN News Corp Sky Northern & Shell DMGT Trinity Mirror Telegraph Media Guardian Media Group Lebedev Foundation Pearson Other
UK England Scotland Wales N Ireland
Base 2014: All who use a news source nowadays in England (1538), Scotland (339), Wales (359) and Northern Ireland (344); 2013: England (1618), Scotland (328), Wales (366) and Northern Ireland (349). 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.
BBC (80%) and ITN (50%) reach is higher in Scotland in 2014 than in 2013 (73% and 39%). The reach of Trinity Mirror decreased in Scotland from 27% in 2013 to 14% in 2014. Cross-platform reach (%)
WHOLESALE
↑(73%)
(2013 figures in brackets)
↓(27%)
44% 58% 53% 44% 58% 50% 52% 63% 71% 32% 54% 60% 51% 68% 78% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Any mention of politics Any mention of current affairs Any mention of local/region All UK England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
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)
People in Northern Ireland and Scotland are more likely than people in England and Wales to say they are personally interested in politics and local/regional news. People in Northern Ireland are also more likely than other nations to be interested in current affairs topics.
78
The weather is the news topic of most personal interest to people in England and is of more personal interest than societal importance. Most news topics are considered to be more societally important than personally interesting.
49% 35% 23% 34% 18% 33% 13% 28% 34% 45% 35% 24% 35% 36% 49% 28% 43% 48% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Personally interested in Societal importance
Higher personal interest Equal social and personal importance Higher social importance (Top five, by difference)
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 England (1641)
48% 42% 35% 16% 38% 13% 37% 30% 44% 36% 34% 39% 59% 32% 55% 48% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Personally interested in Societal importance
In addition to the weather, local events are of more personal interest than societal importance.
Higher personal interest Equal social and personal importance Higher social importance (Top five, by difference)
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 Scotland(363)
58% 40% 36% 34% 23% 9% 17% 12% 25% 17% 46% 30% 30% 30% 18% 34% 35% 28% 39% 31% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Personally interested in Societal importance
People in Wales are more likely to be personally interested in a range of news topics.
Higher personal interest Higher social importance (Top five, by difference)
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 Wales (376)
58% 44% 47% 17% 34% 27% 12% 16% 39% 38% 46% 52% 68% 61% 44% 47% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Personally interested in Societal importance
In addition to the weather, politics in Northern Ireland is also of more personal interest than societal importance.
Higher personal interest Higher social importance (Top five, by difference)
Equal social and personal importance
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 Northern Ireland (351)
5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 6% 6% 8% 8% 9% 9% 9% 10% 10% 10% 17% 17% 24% 31% 52%
BBC Two Any local daily newspaper The Daily Mirror The Mail on Sunday The Sun on Sunday Other radio station(s) e.g. local or foreign ones Facebook Sky News website or app BBC Radio 1 Channel 4 Google (General search Engine) The Daily Mail BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 2 The Sun BBC News Channel Sky News Channel BBC website or app ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV BBC One
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults in England (2014 – 1641, 2013 - 1764). 2013 figures shown where statistically different to 2014.
52% of adults in England use BBC One for news, a decrease since 2013 (56%). Use of the BBC website or app has increased from 16% to 24%.
TV channel Newspaper Radio station Website / app
% of all adults in England (42.4 million)
2013
↓56% ↑16% ↑8% ↑8% ↑5% ↑6% ↑4% ↑4%
2013
↑14% ↓17% ↓13% ↓14%
4% 4% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 7% 7% 7% 8% 9% 9% 10% 13% 13% 16% 24% 37% 55%
The Sun on Sunday The Sunday Mail STV Website or app The Sunday Post BBC Two BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 4 Facebook Other radio station(s) e.g. local or foreign ones The Daily Mail BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio 2 Channel 4 The Daily Record The Sun BBC News Channel Sky News Channel BBC website or app STV BBC One
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults in Scotland (2014 – 363, 2013 - 361 ). 2013 figures shown where statistically different to 2014.
Over half of adults in Scotland use BBC One for news. This is followed by STV (37%) and the BBC website or app (24%). Use of the BBC website or app has increased since 2013 (24% v 14%).
TV channel Newspaper Radio station Website / app
% of all adults in Scotland (4.3 million)
2013
↑3% ↓10%
4% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 6% 6% 7% 7% 8% 9% 10% 11% 12% 13% 20% 23% 42% 61%
The Sun on Sunday Real Radio BBC Two S4C The Mail on Sunday Any local daily newspaper Sky News website or app Google (General search Engine) BBC Radio Wales or Cymru The Daily Mirror BBC Radio 1 The Daily Mail Facebook BBC News Channel The Sun BBC Radio 2 BBC website or app Sky News Channel ITV WALES BBC One
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults in Wales (2014 – 376, 2013 - 385). 2013 figures shown where statistically different to 2014.
61% of adults in Wales use BBC One for news. This is followed by ITV Wales (42%) and the Sky News Channel (23%). Use of local dailies has decreased since 2013 (10% to 5%)
TV Channel Newspaper Radio Station Website / app
% of all adults in Wales (2.5 million)
2013
↓22% ↑6% ↓16% ↓19% ↓15% ↓11% ↓12%
6% 6% 6% 7% 7% 7% 8% 8% 9% 9% 10% 10% 10% 11% 14% 20% 20% 28% 56% 65% BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 1 The Daily Mail RTE Channels\TG3\TG4 Twitter Cool FM The Irish News Sky News website or app The Sun The Daily Mirror The Belfast Telegraph BBC News Channel Facebook Channel 4 Other radio station(s) e.g. local or foreign ones BBC Radio Ulster Sky News Channel BBC website or app UTV BBC One
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All adults in Northern Ireland (351). 2013 figures shown where statistically different to 2014.
65% of adults in Northern Ireland use BBC One for news. This is followed by UTV (56%) and the BBC website/ app (28%). ‘Other radio stations’ has decreased since 2013 (22% to 14%)
TV Channel Newspaper Radio Station Website / app
% of all adults in Northern Ireland (1.4 million)
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use TV for news
BBC One is the most-used TV channel for news in all of the UK nations. UTV in Northern Ireland is used by two-thirds of TV news viewers.
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 1238 282 310 306 BBC One 70% 73% 75% 76% BBC Two 7% 6% 6% 3% BBC Three 4% 4% 3% 1% ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV 41% 49% 52% 66% Channel 4 11% 12% 5% 12% S4C
4% 4% 5% 3% RTE Channels\TG3\TG4
Sky News Channel 22% 21% 29% 23% BBC News Channel 22% 18% 14% 12% CNN 2% 2% 1% 2% Fox News 1% 1% 1% 1% CNBC * 1% * 1% Euronews (English version) 1% 1% 1%
4% 4% 3% 3% Russia Today 1% 1% * 3% BBC Parliament 1% 2% 1% 1% Other channel(s) 1% 1% 2% 1% Figures in red are significantly different to those in purple. Figures in green are significantly different from those in red and
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use newspapers for news
The Sun is the most-used UK-wide newspaper for news in all of the nations except Northern Ireland, where the Daily Mirror is also used by one in five newspaper readers.
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 663 177 153 167 The Sun 26% 27% 30% 20% The Daily Mail 22% 16% 24% 14% The Daily Star 3% 5% 7% 3% The Daily Express 4% 6% 4% 1% The Daily Mirror 13% 2% 18% 21%a The Guardian 10% 7% 8% 3% The Independent 3% 2% 4% 1% The 'i' 4% 3% 3%
6% 3% 7% 6% The Daily Telegraph 6% 4% 3% 6% The Financial Times 2% 1% 1% 1% The Morning Star *
a This figure is significantly different from England and Scotland, but not Wales
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use newspapers for news
Over one in five (22%) of those who use newspapers for news in Scotland use the Daily Record. The same proportion of those in Northern Ireland use the Belfast Telegraph for news.
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 663 177 153 167 The Herald
The Irish News
The News Letter
The Western Mail
*
11% 5% 3%
3%
13% 7% 13% 10% Figures in red are significantly different to those in purple. Figures in green are significantly different from those in red and
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use newspapers for news
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 663 177 153 167 The Sun on Sunday 14% 10% 11% 7% The Mail on Sunday 14% 5% 12%a 7% The Daily Star on Sunday 1% * 1% 1% The Sunday Express 2% 2% 2%
6% * 11% 10% The Observer 4% 4% 2% 2% The Independent on Sunday 2%
6% 3% 3% 12% The Sunday Telegraph 4% 3% 1% 3% The People 3% 1% 4% 2% Figures in red are significantly different to those in purple. Figures in green are significantly different from those in red and
a This figure is also significantly different from Scotland, but not Northern Ireland
Those who use newspapers for news in England are more likely than those in Scotland and Northern Ireland to use The Mail on Sunday. The Sun on Sunday is more likely to be used by those in England than those in Northern Ireland.
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source> which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use newspapers for news
5% of those who use newspapers for news in Wales use a local free weekly paper – more than in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 663 177 153 167 The Sunday Herald
Sunday World
Any local paid weekly paper 5% 6% 8% 7% Any local free weekly newspaper 3% 1% 5%
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use radio stations for news
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 570 122 130 168 BBC Radio 4 27% 16% 10% 14% BBC Radio 3 3% 1%
BBC Radio 2 28% 26% 35% 14% BBC Radio 1 21% 15% 23% 14% BBC Asian Network 1%
7% 3% 2% 7% BBC World Service 3% 1%
Classic FM 4% 6% 3% 3% Talksport 3% 4% 2% 5% Heart FM 8%
3% 2% 2%
8% 9% 11% 1% Real Radio 3% 8% 13%
Cymru / BBC Radio Ulster * 24% 20% 45% Any BBC local\regional radio station 9% 3% 2% 3% Figures in red are significantly different to those in purple. Figures in green are significantly different from those in red and
BBC Radio 4 is more likely to be used as a source of news in England than in any other nation. Radio Ulster is more likely to be used for news than the equivalent BBC nations’ radio stations in Scotland and Wales.
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source> which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use internet for news.
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 641 121 137 130 BBC website or app 58% 65% 53% 64% ITV or ITN website or app 5% 2% 7% 3% STV Website or app
Channel 4 website or app 1%
3% Sky News website or app 18% 11% 15% 18% CNN Website or app 1% 1% 1% 2% The Sun website or app 2% 1% * 2% The Daily Mail website or app 8% 5% 7% 13% The Daily Star website or app * 1% 1%
1%
1% 2% 1% 1% The Guardian\Observer website or app 7% 8% 8% 8% The Independent website or app 2% 3% 1% 1% The Times\Sunday Times website or app 1%
3% 2% 5% 3% The Financial Times website or app 1% 2% 1% 1% The Metro website or app 2% 1% 2%
* 1%
1% 2%
Figures in red are significantly different to those in purple. Figures in green are significantly different from those in red and
Internet news users across the nations are most likely to use the BBC website or app as a source for news, followed by the Sky News website or app (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The STV website/app is second to the BBC in Scotland.
Q5a-e) Thinking specifically about <Source>, which of the following do you use for news nowadays? Base: All who use internet for news.
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Unweighted base 641 121 137 130 Facebook 16% 19% 26% 24% Twitter 9% 8% 11% 17% Google News (search engine just for news) 7% 5% 7% 10% Yahoo news 4% 5% 9% 5% MSN news 4% 2% 4% 3% AOL news 1% 1%
YouTube 8% 12% 8% 7% Feedly app
2% 3% 3% 2% Google (General search Engine) 21% 3% 15% 6% Other general search engine *
3% 5% 5% 3% Any local newspaper websites or apps 4% 2% 2% 2% Any Scotland based websites or apps
Other site that combines news links 1% 1%
5% 4% 3% 3%
Figures in red are significantly different to those in purple. Figures in green are significantly different from those in red and
Internet news users in Wales and Northern Ireland are more likely than those in England and Scotland to use Facebook for news. Google is more likely to be used for news by people in England and Wales than by those in Scotland or Northern Ireland.