Gather Survey Reveals Big Changes in Online News Consumption

Nearly 80% of adults share and discuss news online

To download a copy of the news survey, click here.

BOSTON, MA, May 24, 2010 —Gather, the leading demand-driven media company, today released results of a survey conducted to understand how people are consuming news and engaging around breaking news stories. More than 1,450 individuals of various ages, backgrounds and political affiliations answered questions about how they get news, how they respond to breaking news stories, and where, and if, they share and discuss news online.

The data revealed that individuals are increasingly turning to the internet – not only when news breaks, but more and more frequently to share and get perspective on news stories. While nearly half (49%) of all adults consider the internet their primary source for news, there is a shift in what people are doing with that news - nearly 80% of adults ages 18+ are actively sharing news stories online.

 

The survey results show that the manner in which people share news online varies greatly based on their age – while 68% of those aged 45 and older share news primarily via email, 54% of those under the age of 45 share news primarily via Facebook, and a full 90% of respondents 24 years and younger use Twitter and Facebook to share news (double the respondents 40+).

 

The survey also reveals that the vast majority of adults (82%) have interacted around a news story online via comments, and 83% of all respondents are comfortable commenting on any variety of news sites.

 

“The internet has not only turned the media landscape on it’s head, but also has completely revolutionized the way that people get news and discuss news stories,” said Tom Gerace, founder and CEO of Gather. “Today’s internet landscape allows for people to interact in the secondary news cycle by actively sharing and discussing news via social platforms, giving us access to more information and a variety of perspectives on the news stories that affect us the most.”

 

The results of the survey show that 49% of adults consider the internet to be their primary resource for news, with TV at 32%, and newspapers and radio with 9% each. The newspaper industry gets a boon from self-proclaimed “news junkies” – more than half (53%) still cite the newspaper as their main source of news.

 

Additional interesting statistics:

• Demand-driven news is key to adults 18-24 – more than 65% describe their news reading habits as interest-based, meaning that they only read stories on topics particular to them
• More than one-third of respondents use search engines expressly to find multiple perspectives on a news story
• Nearly 80% of adults click on results from news sources they don’t recognize

 

Key Facts:

 

• Survey conducted by Gather in March 2010
• Key findings based on the 1,450 individuals who completed the survey
• Gather fielded and captured the survey responses and identified trends through an extensive analysis of data, coupled with in-depth insights gained from deep expertise within the online news space
• Gather is the leading demand-driven media company 

 

Resources:

Gather Website (http://www.gather.com)

Gather on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/gather_inc)

 

About Gather

Gather is the leading demand-driven media company. We create the secondary news cycle, where people gather around the day’s hottest stories. People want to talk about what’s happening and Gather’s original, hyper-current content offers many perspectives on trending topics.  Gather is a privately held, privately funded company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Investors include Jim Manzi, Allen & Company, and The American Public Media Group. For more information, visit www.gather.com.