The internet is now second only to television as a primary campaign news source for Americans, according to a new survey released by Pew Research.
Internet Now Major Source of Campaign News
Many more Americans are turning to the internet for campaign news this year as the web becomes a key source of election news. Television remains the dominant source, but the percent who say they get most of their campaign news from the internet has tripled since October 2004 (from 10% then to 33% now).
While use of the web has seen considerable growth, the percentage of Americans relying on TV and newspapers for campaign news has remained relatively flat since 2004. The internet now rivals newspapers as a main source for campaign news. And with so much interest in the election next week, the public's use of the internet as a campaign news source is up even since the primaries earlier this year. In March, 26% cited the internet as a main source for election news, while the percentages citing television and newspapers remain largely unchanged.
The editorial commentary here is being generous to newspapers; the internet doesn't simply rival newspapers in this study, it surpasses them by 4 percent, and demographics are most certainly breaking in the newer medium's favor. Nearly 50 percent of 18-29 year olds claim the internet as their first or second news source (behind television), and only 17 percent named newspapers. Even in the next oldest co-hort, 30 to 49-year-olds, 37 percent named the internet compared to 23 percent for newspapers. It's not until the over-50's are broken out that newspapers overtake the internet as first or second-choice source for election news.
Cold comfort, one imagines, as newspaper publishers scan their obituary pages and watch their circulation drop.
And even television has flat-lined in terms of growth when compared with the explosive popularity of the internet.
The report is well worth exploring in depth for media junkies. It also looks at partisan breakdown for cable news shows, using the prism of recent stories (ACORN, Palin's clothes) to survey perception of how much coverage campaign events have received.