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"Online News Consumption Increases, but Not to Detriment of Other Sources"
"ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Four out of five adults (80%) who are online report that they have used the Internet to read some kind of news in the last seven days, according to the results of a survey conducted last month by the Harris Poll.The types of online news used by the largest numbers of people are the weather (60% of all those online), national news (56%), international news (44%) and local news (36%). Currently 69% of all U.S. adults go online from home, work, school, library or other locations, the survey found.In addition, a quarter (26%) of people who go online for news say use of the Internet reduces their use of other media such as television, newspapers, news magazines and the radio. But most (57%) say that it does not change their use of other news media.Some of the other findings from the Harris Poll are:While some people (6% of those who go online for news) use the Internet for news 30 or more times a week, many (35%) do so five times or less per week. The median frequency is seven times a week.The median time spent each week going online for news is one hour. However, 14% spend four hours or more online looking at news, while 23% spend less than half an hour a week doing so.The online news sources used by the largest number of people are the home pages of Internet service providers (48%), the Web sites of newspapers (45%), Web sites of online news services (37%) and Web sites of TV networks or stations (37%).Most of those who go online for news say they usually read a page or more (45%) or read a paragraph or two (40%). Only a few (15%) say they only read the headlines.Leo Bogart, an expert in media research, suggested many of the questions asked in this survey. Reacting to the results, Bogart observed, "Every new information medium that has come along has brought fresh advantages in making people aware of what is happening in the world, without diminishing the unique functions of the media that came before it. News on the Internet follows this pattern, as this study demonstrates."Many of those who go online believe that this has cut into the time they spend with newspapers and TV news, but the typical Internet user checks the news only once a day for a total of an hour a week," Bogart continued. "When a big story is breaking and people are eager to learn the latest developments, they'll get the bulletins fast on the Internet. That may make them all the more interested in the full details they can check out elsewhere."The Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between April 13 and 18, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 2,415 adults aged 18 and over. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.In theory, with probability samples of this size, there is a 95% certainty that the results have a statistical precision of + or - 2 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracyTo become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit www.harrispollonline.com."