Despite Growth in Digital Media, Canadian News Seekers Still Rely on Traditional Sources for Daily News

Toronto, ON - A new poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of The Canadian Journalism Foundation finds that despite a plethora of new sources for the apparent 24/7 news cycle, a majority of Canadians still prefer to consult the more traditional outlets to get their daily news fill.

The list below ranks these sources from always daily consulted to least consulted in helping Canadians get their daily news fill.

In ranked order:

• 40% of Canadians say they always consult daily a regular newscast on a TV station for either evening or late broadcast for their daily news fill
• 23% of Canadians say they always consult daily a daily newspaper that they would normally pay for or subscribe to for their daily news fill
• 19% of Canadians say they always consult daily community newspapers and magazines for their daily news fill
• 17% of Canadians say they always consult daily a television station dedicated to only news or information 24 hours a day for their daily news fill
• 14% of Canadians say they always consult daily a free newspaper that people hand out or make available around town for their daily news fill
• 14% of Canadians say they always consult CBC Radio news broadcasts to get their daily news fill
• 13% of Canadians say they always consult daily newspaper websites for their daily news fill
• 13% of Canadians say they always consult daily social media sites like Facebook for their daily news fill
• 12% of Canadians say they always consult talk radio stations with regularly scheduled news broadcasts on the half hour
• 11% of Canadians say they always consult daily television stations dedicated to only business news and information for their daily news fill
• 10% of Canadians say they always consult daily online news sources like TV news websites for their daily news fill
• 7% of Canadians say they always consult daily news aggregators like `Google News' for their daily news fill
• 7% of Canadians say they always consult 24-hour news-only radio stations
• 3% of Canadians say they always consult daily magazines, like Maclean's and Time, and their websites for their daily news fill
• 3% of Canadians say they always consult daily dedicated news services like Reuters or Bloomberg for their daily news fill
• 3% of Canadians say they always consult daily the popular micro-blogging medium, Twitter, making it the least consulted source amongst Canadians

The following table outlines in full detail how much Canadians `consult' or `don't consult' each available media source:

(Click to enlarge image)

What Kind of News Seekers Are Canadians?

The poll also set out to examine Canadians and their desire to get the news. Respondents were asked to identify with one of four categories to determine which kind of "Newsie" they are:

1. I'm a `hyper newsie' (10%) - I check the news all the time and depend on numerous sources to get it - ranging from newspapers and newspaper sites to news aggregators, Twitter.

2. I'm a `moderate newsie' (29%) - I check the news a few times a day when I really need to or am interested and depend on a few sources to get it ranging from newspapers and newspaper sites to news aggregators, Twitter.

3. I'm a `casual newsie' (42%) - I check on the news once and awhile in a given day from some regular sources and times that I pretty much stick to.

4. I'm really a `non - newsie' (18%) - I don't seek out or care much about the news unless it's really something that's big or affects me directly.

In essence, the self identification grouped Canadians into two main news engaged/seeking categories: those who are highly engaged (39%) and those who are more remotely engaged (60%). Those who are highly engaged consider themselves to be either a `hyper newsie' (10%) or `moderate newsie' (29%), while those who are remotely engaged are `casual newsies' (42%) or `non-newsies' (18%).

• `Hyper Newsies' are twice as likely to be male (14% vs. 7 % female) and tend to be from Western Canada (predominantly from Alberta - 18% and British Columbia - 15%) or Atlantic Canada (11%). Twice as many middle-aged Canadians (12%) and Canadian seniors (12%) consider themselves `hyper-newsies' in comparison to younger Canadians (6%). They are most likely to be university graduates (12%), have high incomes ($100,000+ annually - 15%), and to be parents (12%).
• `Moderate Newsies' are slightly more likely to be male (31% vs. 28% female), a senior over the age of 55 (32%), and from Alberta (36%) or Ontario (34%). `Moderate Newsies' are also the most likely to be considered `middle class' or `middle income' (55%, annual income of between $40-$99,000) earners.
• `Casual Newsies' are slightly more likely to be male (43% vs. 41% women) and be under the age of 55 (43% - 18-34 and 44% - 35-54). `Casual Newsies' are most likely found in the Prairie Provinces (Saskatchewan and Manitoba - 55%) and Quebec (51%) and least likely to be from Alberta (30%). Interestingly, `casual newsies' are equally, and most, likely to be Canadians earning the lowest annual income (44%, under $40,000 annually) and those who earn the highest incomes (44%, $100,000+ annually).
• `Non-Newsies' are twice as likely to be female (24% vs. 12% male) and be under the age of 35 (27%). `Non-Newsies' are most likely to be from Quebec (23%) or British Columbia (19%), revealing an interesting polarization within British Columbia as the province also had one of the highest proportions of `Hyper Newsies'. They are also most likely to be lower middle income (21%, $40-$59,000 annually) earners.

`Newsies' Preferred Sources...

The following are the sources that each `newsie' group ranked as those they consult for news:

More than eight in ten (84%) `hyper newsies' consult a regular newscast on a TV station for either evening or late night broadcast, while three-quarters consult community newspapers and magazines (75%) and television stations dedicated to only news and information 24 hours a day (73%). Rounding out the top five most consulted outlets for `hyper newsies' are newspaper websites (71%) and CBC Radio news broadcasts (70%). Less than two in ten (17%) `hyper newsies' say they consult Twitter for their daily news fill, which is half as likely to be consulted as the next lowest choice, magazines like Maclean's and Time and their sites (35%).

Please download "Press Release" document on the right to view full breakdown of Hyper Newsies.

Evening and late night TV newscasts (81%), community newspapers and magazines (71%), and 24-hour news and information stations (63%) are also the most consulted sources for `moderate newsies'. The same number (56%) of this group consults with free newspapers that people hand out or make available around town and newspaper websites. Just over one in ten `moderate newsies' say they consult dedicated news services like Reuters or Bloomberg (14%) and Twitter (12%).

Please download "Press Release" document on the right to view full breakdown of Moderate Newsies.

Eight in ten (78%) `casual newsies' consult regular newscasts on a TV station for either evening or late night broadcast to get their daily news fill. Six in ten (57%) say they consult community newspapers and magazines and 24-hour news and information stations, revealing a sizeable gap between the most consulted media by `casual newsies'. A majority (53%) consult free newspapers that people hand out or make available, while four in ten (44%) `casual newsies' consult talk radio stations with regularly scheduled news broadcasts on the half hour. Less than two in ten who consider themselves `casual newsies' say they consult magazines like Maclean's and Times and their sites (16%) and dedicated news services like Reuters and Bloomberg (12%), while less than one in ten (9%) consult Twitter.

Please download "Press Release" document on the right to view full breakdown of Casual Newsies.

There is no specific news source that a majority of `non-newsies' consult on a daily basis for their news fill. A slim minority (46%) consult regular TV evening or late night news broadcasts, while four in ten consult free newspapers that hand out or make available around town (40%) or community newspapers and magazines (39%). `Non-newsies' are the most likely to have social media sites such as Facebook (35%) in their top five most consulted news sources. One-third (31%) of `non-newsies' say they consult talk radio stations with regularly scheduled news broadcasts on the half hour. Less than one in ten `non-newsies' consult magazines like Maclean's and Time and their sites (8%), dedicated news services like Reuters and Bloomberg (6%), and Twitter (6%).

Please download "Press Release" document on the right to view full breakdown of Non-Newsies.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between October 4th to 15th, 2012, on behalf of The Canadian Journalism Foundation. For this survey, a sample of 1,006 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online in two waves. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points of all Canadians. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. For more information on credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website at http://ipsos-na.com/dl/pdf/research/public-affairs/IpsosPA_CredibilityIntervals.pdf.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

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