New England Newspaper
Readership Demographics
 

9 out of 10 New Englanders read a newspaper during an average week

AGE

% of Market

Newspaper Reach

18-24

9%

85%

25-34

9%

85%

35-44

19%

93%

45-54

21%

91%

55-64

16%

94%

65 and older

16%

93%


Average New England Newspaper Reader:

  • 67% have some college or a degree
  • 71% are homeowners
  • Average household income of $67,200 (15% higher than national average)
  • 87% are registered voters
  • Average age is 47 years old

 
News and Advertising Sources

  Best News
Coverage About Where You Live
Most
Believable
Advertising
Best Info
Where
to Shop
Info About
Items for Sale
& Prices
Best Ideas on
Places to Go
& Things to Do

Newspapers

61%

62%

64%

69%

76%

Television

32%

24%

12%

6%

6%

Radio

5%

8%

4%

1%

4%

Internet

2%

6%

21%

24%

15%

 
Main Source for Information

  Local Shopping
Information 
Local News & 
Information
State
News
Local & State Political
/Election News

Newspapers

76%

54%

49%

41%

Cable TV

4%

25%

30%

29%

Network TV

2%

11%

11%

14%

Internet

8%

2%

3%

7%

Radio

1%

7%

6%

5%

Other/Don’t Know

9%

1%

1%

3%

 
New Englanders vs. National Average – Daily & Sunday Newspapers
62% of New Englanders on average read a paper daily compared to national average of 53%
71% on average read a Sunday paper compared to national average of 61%         

Weekly Newspaper Readership
74% of New Englanders read weekly newspapers
Average number of weeklies read per reader: 1.65
Average number of days the issue remains in home: 3.6 days
Average number of adults reading each copy: 1.8


Consumer Behavior (in the past 12 months)

  % Who Purchased % Who Read Newspapers  

Groceries

99%

81%

Hardware/Home Improvement & Building Supplies

68%

82%

Home Electronics

53%

85%

State Lottery Tickets

49%

84% 

Furniture

33%

79%

Major Appliance

30%

82%

New Car, Truck, Van, SUV

21%

84%

Used Car, Truck, Van, SUV

19%

83%

New Long Distance Service

18%

79%

New or Different Home

9%

81%

75% of New Englanders take a vacation or pleasure trip in New England ,
with an average of more than 3.5 trips a year
96% of vacationers read a daily or weekly newspaper

63% of adults first turn to newspapers when looking for jobs or employment opportunities
78% of adults first turn to newspapers when looking for entertainment information

 
Advertising Use
For source of shopping information (Very or Somewhat Useful)

Ads Printed in Newspapers: 85%
Ad Inserts in Newspapers: 84%
Classified Ads in Newspapers: 68%

TV Commercials: 61%
Radio Commercials: 60%
Ads in Yellow Pages: 57%
Ads Mailed to Your Home: 53%
Ads on Internet: 29%

Of those consumers who have made a purchase during an average week as a result of advertising they saw or heard: 77% saw this ad in a newspaper


Advertising Competitors
TV Commercials: 74% of adults change the channel or lower the sound when a commercial comes on.  Another 4% say they simply don’t pay attention to commercials.

Radio Commercials: 47% of adults change the station or lower the sound when a commercial comes on.  Another 4% don’t listen to radio.

Preferred Choice Among Insert Users:
In a newspaper: 68%

In the mail: 20%
In a shopper: 12%      

 
Voting Patterns
87% of adults say they registered to vote
96% of registered voters read newspapers
58% say they voted in most recent local and state election
70% of voters cite newspapers as top source for information on voting in local and state elections

(Findings from research study conducted by American Opinion Research of Princeton, NJ - 2004)  

NEPA
Promoting Growth and Excellence in New England Newspapers