Logo

TV Loses Ground as Source of Election News — and There’s a New No. 2

Feb 7, 2012  •  Post A Comment

Even with all the political coverage on television, viewers are turning to TV less for their election news than they have in at least 20 years, Deadline.com reports, citing a study by the Pew Research Center.

In a comparable study four years ago, 72% of respondents indicated their first choice for election news was television, but the figure has now slipped to 69%. That number compares with 78% in 2004 and 86% in 2000, the story reports.

The falloff is greatest for local broadcast news, with only 32% of surveyed adults indicating they turn first to local news for election information — down from 40% four years ago.

National nightly news fell significantly too, down to 26% from 32% four years ago. Cable news was the steadiest TV segment, slipping to 36% from 38% four years ago.

The Internet has overtaken newspapers as the No. 2 source for election news, rising to 34% from 26% four years ago. Only eight years ago the number for the Internet was just 13%.

Just 22% of respondents named newspapers as their first choice for political information and election news, down from 30% four years ago. As recently as 1996, the number for newspapers was around 50%.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)