Young Newspaper Readers

Young Canadians who are frequent readers of newspapers are also more likely to vote in elections, volunteer time in community service, and be more socially active than less frequent readers, according to a national survey released this week by the Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA).

• Reading Between the Lines: Debunking Common Myths about Young Newspaper Readers (Full report - PDF)
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From the release:

1. "Young newspaper readers are involved in the world around them. As a result, there are strong social benefits correlated with newspaper readership among youth. These include: increased participation in the political process and increased involvement in community activities.
2. Young newspaper readers readily form opinions and seek out opportunities to express them so as to influence others.
3. Young newspaper readers are socially active and outgoing. They are more likely to visit shopping malls, restaurants, bars or night clubs than infrequent readers.
4. Young readers depend more on conventional sources than on new media for information on issues of importance to them. They rate newspapers highly for credibility, but prefer online sources for world news, entertainment and weather.
5. Young readers participate in new media and embrace new technologies more than less frequent readers.
6. They are plugged-in, but not tuned out. The news-heavy front sections and local news are the top two content areas read by young readers.
7. If young people have not become newspaper readers by age 24 they are unlikely to become readers later in life. Exposure to newspapers in schools as well as in the home has a significant impact on future readership.
8. Newspapers should not take their younger readers for granted. Young readers actively seek out news and information and have embraced all the technologies that deliver it. They will go elsewhere if they cannot find what they are looking for in the pages of a daily newspaper."

1,500 young people aged 14-34 participated in the study, conducted online across Canada in April, 2006.