| On Tuesday morning, Monmouth University released a poll for Gannett newspapers on media consumption habits in New Jersey.
Selected toplines follow, with analysis below the fold.
Where do you get most of your information about politics and public affairs in New Jersey - from newspapers, television, radio, the Internet, or somewhere else?
| Newspapers: | 28% |
| Television: | 41% |
| Radio: | 6% |
| Internet: | 19% |
Percent of respondents using different media
| Activity | 4+ days
per week | 1+ days
per week |
| Read newspaper | 42% | 71% |
| Visit website for national/international news | 29% | 44% |
| Visit website for state/local news | 12% | 28% |
| Watch local NY/Philly TV news | 43% | 62% |
| Listen to talk radio | 22% | 34% |
Other than sports and features, what type of news coverage do you most look for in newspapers - national, state, or local community news?
| National news | 30% |
| State news | 15% |
| Local community news | 42% |
Percentage of respondents correctly naming...
| Cory Booker as Mayor of Newark | 30% |
| Michael Nutter as Mayor of Philadelphia | 13% |
| Michael Bloomberg as Mayor of New York | 69% |
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| By far the most surprising result in this poll is that television now outpaces newspapers as New Jerseyans' main source of state news. Eagelton institute has included a similar question in many of their polls (including their first ever poll in September 1971), and not once has television polled ahead of newspapers as a source of state news. In the May, 2003 Eagleton poll, 54% of respondents claimed they got most of their state news from newspapers, compared to just 31% for television.
The Monmouth poll does agree with the Eagleton polls on one point-that those who rely on newspapers for state news are more likely than those who rely on television to correctly answer questions about New Jersey politics and government. The Monmouth poll suggests a strong correlation between newspaper readership and the ability to identify the Mayor of Newark as Cory Booker, but a statistically insignificant correlation between the same item of political knowledge and daily local news viewership.
In the Monmouth poll, New Jerseyans rated in-state media outlets consistently higher than out-of-state media outlets on coverage of state government and politics. This perception reflects reality, for newspapers as well as for TV. The Philadelphia Inquirer still offers respectable coverage of Trenton, but the most widely-read out-of-state daily newspaper, the New York Times, does not. New Jersey's newspapers tend to devote more coverage to state government than their counterparts in other states. Likewise, New Jersey-based TV stations, namely NJN and News 12 New Jersey, cater to a statewide audience and tend focus heavily on state news. On the other hand, New York and Philadelphia-based broadcast television stations all but ignore New Jersey.
The poll also asked all respondents who read a newspaper in the past month which type of news—local, state or national—they looked for most in their paper. Just 15% declared a preference for state news, prompting Murray to conclude:
"Like most Americans, New Jerseyans have become accustomed to turning on the television for news updates. However, the focus of TV coverage tends to be national or the city where those media outlets are located, while newspapers are favored for their local news coverage. Since we lack a homegrown broadcast media market, this leaves a gap for state-level news exposure in New Jersey."
While New Jerseyans may buy their newspaper mostly for local news, it does not follow from this that they skip over stories on state government and politics. Undoubtedly, some of those who preferred the local news bought their paper not for news but for the crossword puzzle or the coupons. Likewise, some folks who peruse the local news may read the odd state news story. Anyone who glances at the front page of one of the state's better daily newspapers on a daily basis may well be exposed to more state news than a religious Philadelphia or New York network local news viewer. The chief difference between New Jersey and other states is that news consumers in other states can count on such incidental exposure to state news not only in newspapers, but on local TV news as well. This is what makes the apparent shift away from newspapers and toward television as a source of state news especially disturbing.
While the Monmouth poll illuminates some important trends, it falls short in some respects. The ability to name the Mayor of Newark is a poor metric for political knowledge in the state. As is evident fom the poll, Cory Booker isn't a quite statewide figure yet. People who read newspapers may be better able to name Cory Booker as the Mayor of Newark simply because people who live in North Jersey are more likely to read newspapers. A better test of political knowledge would be, for example, "Which party controls a majority in the Assembly?" or "Can you tell me what offices are up for election this year?"
Finally, one important question the poll did not answer is how much state news finds its way onto the computer screens of online news consumers. Print media is losing much more of its audience to the internet (often to newspapers' own websites) than to television. It would be useful to know more about levels of political knoweldge and engagement among online news consumers. |
