Study finds that Facebook users still need newspapers

Full article published in Star Mail.

A national three-year survey led by ARC-supported researchers at Deakin and RMIT universities has found that more than half of people who do not read local newspapers believe they are essential to their communities.

The survey collected the views of 400 Facebook users who do not read a local newspaper, about the role of local news within their communities.

Associate Professor Kristy Hess, from the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University, and who is leading the research funded by a Linkage Project grant, said the Facebook survey supported previous findings from a survey that her team had conducted, which suggests a continued support for the printed product.

The cost and limited accessibility of local newspapers were given as reasons these Facebook users did not engage with a them, according to Dr Hess.

The survey received support from industry partner Country Press Australia (CPA), and focussed on Facebook users who lived within areas that were served by the CPA network of independent newspapers, which like many local newspapers have struggled to survive during the pandemic.

 

Image: Pixabay (Public Domain).