How People Learn About

Their Local Community

in a Digital Age

Canadian Security Intelligence Service Informing (In)Stability Conference

February 21-22, 2012 Ottawa, Canada

Kristen Purcell, Ph.D. Associate Director, Research

Pew Internet Project

• Part of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” based in Washington, DC that provides high quality, objective data to thought leaders and policymakers

• PRC is funded primarily by the Pew Charitable Trusts

• Data for this talk is from nationally representative telephone survey of 2,251 U.S. adults age 18+ (on landlines and cell phones) conducted in January 2011

• The survey was done in partnership with Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, and was funded by the Knight Foundation

46% of US adults used the internet

5% had home broadband

connections

<20% watched video online

53% owned a cell phone

0% connected to internet wirelessly

0% used social network sites

The Internet in 2000

Slow, stationary connections

built around a desktop

computer

82% of US adults use the internet, 76%

of whom are online on any given day

2/3 have broadband at home

87% have a cell phone; 19% have a

tablet computer

2/3 are wireless internet users

71% of adult internet users watch

video online

65% of online adults use SNS

The Internet in 2012

Mobile devices have changed

the relationship between

information, time and space

We live in a

networked world,

information is

embedded and

ambient

What Makes This Study Unique?

Past research tended to ask a single question:

“Where do you go most often to get local news?’”

This survey asked about 16 different local topics and

the sources people relied on most for each topic

Resulting picture is a complex local news ecosystem;

people rely on different platforms for different topics

A few important notes….

”Local newspaper” includes print and web version

“TV news” includes broadcast and website

“Internet” includes web-only sources such as search

engines, special topic sites, and social networking sites

Local TV news remains most popular source for local

news in the US, yet adults rely on it primarily for just 3

subjects—weather, breaking news and traffic

American adults turn to local newspapers for a wider

range of information than any other source, yet for topics

followed by fewer people

The internet is now the top source on subjects such as

education, local businesses and restaurants/bars/clubs

Headlines from the Local News Survey

Disruption lies ahead…

For the 79% of online American adults, the internet is the 1st or 2nd most relied-

upon source for 15 of 16 local topics

For adults under 40, the web is first for 11 of the top 16 topics—and a close

second on four others

Bottom Line – Local News is a Complex Ecosystem

Different people rely on different sources

for different topics

Local news consumption habits vary

widely by age, as well as race/ethnicity,

community type, and other key factors

No one platform is outpacing another in

delivering all types of

community news and information

Roughly 2/3 use at least 3 media sources

every week to get local news —

and 15% rely on at least six weekly

45% do not have a favorite local news

source

The most popular of the 16 topics

asked about are…

weather (89%)

breaking news (80%)

local politics (67%)

crime (66%)

The least popular are…

government activities (42%)

local job openings (39%)

social services (35%)

zoning and development (30%)

Popular Local Topics

Most Frequently

Used Local News

Sources

Used at least weekly for

any local news…

Local TV

Word of Mouth

Radio

Newspaper

Internet

Print Newsletter

Source by Topic:

The Preferred Source for 16 Local News Topics

If your local newspaper no longer

existed, would that have a major

impact, minor impact, or no impact

on your ability to keep up with

information and news about your

local community?

69% say losing the local paper would

have no impact (39%)

or only a minor impact (30%)

Among adults age 18-29, 74% say losing

their local paper would not significantly

affect their ability to get local information

Similarly, 74% of home broadband users

say losing their paper would have only a

minor impact, if at all

When Do Newspapers Top the List?

Local TV is a critical source for

everyday news and

the most popular local topics

But, the internet is beginning to creep

into these territories

When Does Local TV Top the List?

When is the Internet a Top Source for Local News?

The internet has surpassed newspapers as a

source for national and international news…

and is now emerging as a

significant source for local news

Among all adults, the internet is the most

relied upon source for 5 of 16 local topics

Among online adults, the internet ranks first or

second on all but one topic (crime)

The Impact of Mobile Devices and Geolocation

Mobile is slowly becoming a local news medium

47% of US adults use mobile devices to get local news and

information of some kind, but it’s still largely supplemental

Yet even now, 5% of US adults rely on a mobile app as their

main source for weather information

Percent of US adults who use a mobile device to…

check local weather (36%)

find local restaurants/businesses (31%)

get general news about their community (25%)

check local sports scores/updates (20%)

get local traffic/transportation info (19%)

get discounts/coupons for local stores (16%)

get local news alerts by text or email (13%)

41% of US Adults are “Local News Participators”

They do at least one of the following:

25% share links to local stories/videos

16% comment on local news stories or blogs

they read online

16% post news or info about their local

community on a social networking site like

Facebook

8% contribute to online discussions or

message boards about their community

6% “tag” online local news content

5% contribute articles, opinion pieces, photos

or videos about their local community online

2% post news or info about their local

community on Twitter

SNS are not yet a main source for local info

Very small percentages named SNS as the place they

turn to most for any of the 16 local topics

Social networks ranked highest as a source for…

local restaurants (2%)

community events (2%)

Into the Future: Apps and Augmented Reality

The Future is Already Here

restaurants

local businesses

weather

politics

crime

arts/cultural events

local businesses

schools

community events

restaurants

traffic

taxes

housing

local government

jobs

social services

zoning/development

Age 18-39 Age 40+

The

internet

is the

main

source

for these

topics

Kristen Purcell, Ph.D. Associate Director, Research

Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

kpurcell@pewinternet.org

Twitter:

@pewinternet

@kristenpurcell

All data available at pewinternet.org