NEWSPAPER READERSHIP IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF IKEJA POPULACE

INTRODUCTION

Communication is vital. The term ‘communication’ is derived from the Latin word

communis which means ‘to share’, that is, sharing of ideas, concepts, feelings and

emotions. The science of communication is almost as old as man himself. Without

communication, it is impossible to exist. It is the key to making informed decisions.

Communication is as pervasive and ubiquitous as the very air we breathe. Its

pervasiveness may be gauged from the fact that we are always communicating in some

form at any given moment of our life. Whether we are walking, talking, eating or even

sleeping, a communicative message is being formulated and conveyed. Hence, any study

carried out to determine or suggest ways in which the communication process and its

channels may even be made better and more relevant is definitely worth the effort and

time.

This study has therefore been designed to look into an area of communication – mass

communication. Simply put, mass communication is that aspect of communication that is

targeted at a mass audience. That is, it is not interpersonal communication. It is not group

communication. However, it may form the content of communication in these other

aspects of communication. Mass communication is directed at a large and heterogeneous

audience. According to Baran (2004), mass communication is the process of creating

shared meaning between the mass media and their audiences. This states then that

whenever a semantic equilibrium is reached between the mass media and their audiences,

then, mass communication has taken place.

However, we cannot talk about mass communication without talking about its media –

the mass media. The mass media are the channels through which mass communication is

conveyed. They act like conveyor belts. Mass information or communication is

disseminated through a mass medium to a mass audience. It is the agency through which

mass communication is conveyed. As long as there is mass communication, there will be

mass media. Therefore, an inquiry into the nature of mass communication is effectively

an inquiry into the nature of its medium. There are many means or media of mass

communication, which include Television, Radio, Newspaper, and so on. All are

important. However, this study is looking particularly at the newspaper.

There are two broad categories of the mass media: Print, and Electronic media. The

newspaper belongs to the print media, and is unarguably the most important and popular

medium in that category. This is because newspapers are veritable and resilient. In other

words, they have a long life span, and information got from them can be read and reread.

Another important advantage is that newspapers provide more news depth than do other

media. Many people therefore rely on the newspaper to gain access to necessary and

relevant information. The newspaper is an important source of vital information, giving

facts about contemporary issues. The role played by newspapers in the overall

development of a society cannot be neglected. Duyile (1979), speaking of the Print media

in general and newspapers in particular, notes that the Print media ‘guard the people’s

interest, protect their freedom, and correct social ills in the society.’

There are different categories of newspapers, including dailies, weeklies, and monthlies.

These are so named by virtue of their frequency of publication. Classifications according

to scope would include national, regional, and community newspapers. An example of a

national daily in Nigeria is the Punch newspaper.

In the light of the foregoing, then, it becomes quite necessary to find out if the newspaper

is really being read by its target audience. It is tantamount to a waste of resources if

newspapers are published, and nobody, or very few people, reads them. In reality, there is

a growing concern that newspaper readership is declining. The US Census Bureau reveals

that the population of newspaper readers declined from a figure of 62.1 million in 1970 to

55.8 million in 2000. Compaine and Gomery (2000) also found out that people, on the

average, now spend just 15 minutes perusing the newspapers unlike in the mid-70s when

the average time spent reading was 32 minutes. It would thus be interesting to investigate

newspaper readership among Nigerians. In a related research carried out by mediaReach

OMD (2005), it was discovered that the Sun and the Punch newspapers had the highest

percentage of national readership, polling 4% each. However, this only measures which

newspaper is being read the most, and not how many people, as a percentage of the whole

population, read the newspaper.

The main thrust of this study is to investigate newspaper readership among Nigerians.

That is, in spite of the seemingly colossal and overbearing importance of the newspaper

to daily living, do people read them? Research findings referred to above seem to indicate

otherwise. This is a pilot study, though, and as such, the study will be tested first among

30 respondents drawn randomly from the Ikeja metropolis.

The research questions that have been drawn up to investigate this are:

1. To what extent is the newspaper reading culture prominent among Nigerians?

2. For what reasons do Nigerians read newspapers?

3. What items do Nigerians read most in these newspapers?

4. Do press reviews aired daily on Radio or TV affect newspaper readership among

Nigerians?

For the purpose of this study, newspaper readership has been used to denote how often,

and to what degree, students read newspapers.

EMPIRICAL STUDIES ON NEWSPAPER READERSHIP IN NIGERIA

Researches carried out so far indicate that newspaper readership in Nigeria may be

declining. A research on the reading habits of Nigerians by Kunle Oloyede (1985)

implies that Nigerians are not interested in reading activities, and that an average

Nigerian would prefer other recreational activities to reading. The study also puts it

forward that there seems to be a link between the low reading habits of Nigerians and the

low standard of education. Ziregbe (1984) also found out that among the people of Warri,

more men read the newspapers than do women. Fayemi (1984) confirms this as well

when he found out male students of the University of Lagos read newspapers more than

their female counterparts, and he believes this is because females would rather buy

dresses and shoes than buy newspapers. The Ziregbe study also revealed that the Front-

page news of any newspaper has the highest percentage of readership among readers.

mediaFacts (2006) also came out with research findings that show that as much as

79.78% of Nigerians do not read newspapers given any day, and that only about 10% of

the population read newspapers everyday. Oloyede (1985) would have us believe this

also is indicative of how low the literacy level is in Nigeria.

The famous Bernard Berelson study (1949) revealed some key reasons why people read

newspapers. These reasons include:

1. To get information about and interpretation of public affairs

2. As tools for daily living, for example, advertising, announcements of births,

deaths, and weddings et cetera.

3. For relaxation and escape

4. For prestige (newspaper content is raw material for conversation)

5. For social contact (from human interest and advice columns)

This study will attempt to revisit the issue of readership again so as to see if there has

been any change whatsoever. Do more, or less, Nigerians read newspapers now? It will

also try to determine what items Nigerians read most in newspapers.

METHODOLOGY

The survey method was employed in this study, and the research questions which formed

the basis of the instrument for this investigation are:

1. To what extent is the newspaper reading culture prominent among Nigerians?

2. For what reasons do Nigerians read newspapers?

3. What items do Nigerians read most in these newspapers?

4. Do Radio/TV press reviews affect newspaper readership among Nigerians?

The population of this pilot test is made up of people who live in or transact business

in/around Ikeja, the commercial capital of Lagos. The convenience sampling method was

adopted for this study, since one main aim of a pre-test is to gauge whether a study

approach is correct and rectify it. As a result`, thirty respondents who were willing to

participate in the study were selected. The questionnaire was the research instrument used

to obtain data for the analysis of the study.

The questionnaire was structured in two parts: A and B. Section A sought to elicit

information on respondents’ demographic variables of Age, Gender, Income, and Level

of Education. These questions were designed so as to find out if these variables affect

newspaper readership patterns. Section B investigated whether respondents read

newspapers, what they read, why, and how often they do so. Section A had 3 items, while

section B had 19 items. In all, there was a total of 22 questionnaire items, comprising

both open-ended and close-ended items. Thirty (30) copies of the questionnaire were

administered, and all were retrieved. Data collected through the questionnaire items were

analysed using the frequency method. Also, the pilot test revealed that the questionnaire

items were understood as meant, and there was little or no need for an elaborate revision.

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Part one: Demographic Information

Gender distribution Table 1

Age distribution

Tab.2

Level of Education Tab. 3

Respondents No %FSLC 5 16.67Secondary level 8 26.67Tertiary level 11 36.67Post-tertiary 6 20

The three tables above show the demographic spread of the respondents. As regards

gender distribution, 56.67%(17) of respondents were male, while 43.33%(13) were

females.

Respondents No %20-29 13 43.3330-39 12 4040 upwards 5 16.67

Respondents No %Male 17 56.67Female 13 43.33

Table 2 reveals the age distribution of respondents. Most were youths, ranging between

20-39 years. Only 16.67% were 40 years and above, while 83.33% were less than 40

years

Also, most of the respondents were well educated, at least up to and beyond the

secondary level, with only 5 respondents having only primary education. Table 3

demonstrates this. A total of 25 respondents were educated beyond the basic level. This

implies that most respondents were literate enough to read newspapers.

Part two: Information items

Research Question One: To what extent is the newspaper reading culture prominent

among Nigerians?

Items 1, 3-6 of the questionnaire were used to answer this research question. Respondents

were asked how often they read newspapers, and these were their responses: Very often:

22 (73.33%); Often: 5(16.67%); Rarely: 3(10%).

These responses show that 27 (90%) read newspapers quite regularly. Only 3 respondents

claim to read the newspapers rarely.

Respondents were also asked when they read newspapers most, and this shows their

responses: Morning: 16 (53.33%); Afternoon: 8 (26.67%); Evening: 4(13.33%); No

response: 2(6.67%). Most respondents claim they read newspapers in the morning. This

may imply they do so before beginning the day’s activities. Furthermore, 26.67% read

newspapers in the afternoon, while 13.33% do so in the evening. 6.67% did not respond

to this item.

Again, respondents were asked how much time they spend reading papers daily. These

are the responses: Less than 15mins:11(36.67%); 15-30mins:13(43.33%); 31mins-

1hr: 3(10%); No response: 3(10%)

It can thus be inferred that 53.33% spend over 15 minutes reading newspapers, while

36.67% spend less than 15minutes. 10% did not respond to the item, and said they could

not provide an estimate of how long they spend reading newspapers on any given day.

Respondents were also asked how many papers they read in a day and 21 (70%) claim to

read more than two papers; 5(16.67%) read just one newspaper a day, while the rest, 4

(13.33%) claim to read two newspapers.

Respondents were also asked how they would feel if they did not read newspapers in a

day, and the following are their responses: Feel deprived: 17(56.67%); Feel normal:

8(26.67%); No response: 5(16.67%). These results suggest that a majority, 56.67%,

would feel bothered if they do not read newspapers in a day.

It can therefore be inferred from the above responses to the 5 information items that there

is a significantly high level of newspaper reading culture among the population. This is

because 90% read newspapers regularly; 53.33% spend more than 15 minutes daily

reading the newspaper, and 70% read more than 2 newspapers daily. Also, 56.67% feel

deprived if they are not able to read newspapers in a day.

This result cannot be conclusive though as this is a trial or mini version of the original

study.

Research Question Two: For what reasons do Nigerians read newspapers?

Items 2, 7-9 of section B of the questionnaire proffer answers to this research question.

Respondents who claim to read newspapers rarely or never were asked to give their

reasons for doing so. Knowing why they do not read papers or read only rarely will help

know how they can be made to read. These were their reasons: I’m too busy: 2; It’s a

waste of time: 1.

Respondents were also told to indicate which paper they read most. This was an open-

ended question. Unexpectedly, however, only three newspapers were mentioned: The

Punch, 15(50%), The Sun, 10 (33.33%), and The Guardian, 5 (16.67%). The Punch

had the highest frequency, followed by The Sun and The Guardian newspapers

respectively. The reasons for their choice were also investigated, and are presented in the

table below.

Table 4: why respondents read a particular paper most

More informative

More credible

More interesting

No response

Total

The Punch 11 3 1 - 15(50%)The Sun 2 2 6 - 10(33.33%)The Guardian

2 1 2 5(16.67%)

Total

15 7 6 2 30(100%)

These responses show that out of the 15 respondents who believe the newspaper of their

choice is more informative, 11 prefer the Punch, while the Sun and the Guardian had 2

each. As regards credibility, 3 believe the Punch is more credible; the Sun had 2, while

the Guardian had 1. Also, this finding may indicate that respondents read a particular

newspaper the most if they find it more informative.

Respondents were also asked the reasons they read newspapers generally and the

responses are these:

Table 5: why respondents read newspapers

Information, education & entertainment 17(56.67%)Relaxation, to pass the time 8(26.67%)Prestige reasons 5(16.67%)No response - Total 30(100%)

Scholars have defined the traditional functions of the mass media to be the provision of

information, education, and entertainment. Respondents who read newspapers for these

reasons were in the majority, polling 56.67% of the whole lot. 26.67% read newspapers

to relax and escape, while 16.67% read for prestige reasons.

When all the answers to the items that proffer answers to this research question are taken

into view then, certain conclusions may be reached. The traditional functions of the mass

media are still strong reasons why people read the newspaper. People also place more

premium on a paper being more informative, than on its being interesting. The Punch had

the highest readership, followed by the Sun.

Research Question Three: What items do Nigerians read most in these newspapers?

Items 10-13 of the section B of the questionnaire proffer answers to this research

question.

Respondents were asked what items they read in the newspaper, and they came up with

the following responses, presented in Table 6.

Table 6: what respondents read in newspapers.

Grp No Responses Freq (%)1 FP,Humour,Headlines,Human angle 8(20%)2 Humour, human angle 6(26.67%)3 Ed.,humour,human angle,sport,headline 5(16.67%4 FP,ads.,joblistings,grp 3 3(10%)5 Everything 3(10%)6 Nothing in particular 2(6.67%)7 FP, Ed. 2(6.67%)8 Ed.,grp 2 1(3.33%)

Total 30(100%)This table shows that the highest figure was recorded for Group 1, followed by groups 2

and 3 respectively. Group 8 had the least figure, while 6.67% do not read anything in

particular. Only 10% read everything.

Respondents were also asked to tell what items they would not want removed at all from

the newspaper, and the following table depicts their responses

Table 7: what items respondents would not want removed

Grp No Responses Freq (%)1 Sports 7(23.33%)2 FP, BP, Sports 6(20%)3 FP 5(16.67%)4 Sports, FP, Ed. 5(16.67%)5 Headlines 3(10%)6 Human Angle 2(6.67%)7 FP, Humour 2(6.67%)

No response - Total 30(100%)

Table 7 shows that most respondents would not like for Sports news and FrontPage news

to be removed. This in tune with previous research findings that show that most

undergraduate readers read these two items the most (Omilabu, 2008). It is significant

that both FrontPage and Sports news appeared in every category created. This suggests

that both mattered a lot to readers.

Respondents were as well asked to tell which items they would not mind if those items

were removed from the newspaper, and they came up with the following responses in

Table 8

Table 8: items respondents would not mind if removed

Responses Freq. (%)Ed. 7(23.33%)Adv 6(20%)Humour 6(20%)Headlines 3(10%)Human Angle 2(6.67%)FrontPage 2(6.67%)Sports 1(3.33%)No response 3(10%) Total 30(100%)

This table shows that more respondents would not be perturbed if editorials and adverts

were removed from the newspaper. This is an indication that a good number of readers do

not know the importance of the editorial page. This result also shows that only 3.33%

would not mind if sports news were removed. 10% did not answer this item.

Lastly, respondents were asked to tell what kind of news interested them the most, and

Table 9 presents their responses.

Table 9: news respondents find most interesting

Responses Freq. (%)Politics 10(33.33%)Sports 8(26.67%)Entertainment 5(16.67%)Business 5(16.67%)No Response 2(6.67%) Total 30(100%)

Table 9 reveals that respondents find politics, 33.33%, and sports news, 26.67%, most

interesting.16.67% is recorded for both entertainment and business news. Politics and

sports news are therefore found most interesting. 6.67% did not respond to this item.

From all the foregoing then, it may be deduced then that readers read a lot of items in the

newspaper, but with especial preference for politics, sports, and front-page news. Human

angle is also well-read, but it does not come up repeatedly in every category as do the

afore-mentioned three.

Research Question Four: Do Radio/TV press reviews affect newspaper readership

among Nigerians?

Items 14 and 15 on Section B of the questionnaire were designed to proffer answers to

this research question.

Respondents were asked if they listen to press reviews on either radio or television in the

morning before going out, and how often they do so. These were their responses: Very

Often: 21 (70%); Often: 5 (16.67%); Rarely: 4 (13.33%). This result shows that a

majority of respondents listen to press reviews regularly. 70% and 16.67% listen to press

reviews Very Often and Often respectively. Adding these two figures up, the total of

those who listen to press reviews constantly becomes 86.67%. This is highly significant,

as it is a high percentage. It thus becomes necessary to see if this high percentage of

readers is carried on into newspaper readership. That is, do these people read newspapers

as a result of their having listened to newspaper reviews?

Consequently, respondents were asked how often they read newspapers as a follow-up to

press reviews. These responses were generated: Very Often: 22 (73.33%); Often: 6

(20%); Rarely: 2 (6.67%). This result seems to indicate that listening to press reviews

may influence newspaper readership positively. This is because over 90% of those who

listen to press reviews (adding together the values for Very often (73.33%) and Often

(20%) still go ahead to read newspapers. Even the remaining 6.67% do read newspapers,

howbeit only rarely. It may be that they read the newspapers so as to get more detailed

information of choice news.

From these findings then, it may be inferred that listening to press reviews regularly may

influence newspaper readership positively, as more respondents still go on to read

newspapers after listening to press reports. Better still, it can be said that there is a

relationship between listening to press reports and newspaper readership.

CONCLUSION

This is a pilot study. It was carried out to check if the questionnaire items were

understood as meant. Also, its findings are expected to be further tested in the main

study. Moreover, it may be too early to make recommendations at this stage since this is

still a pilot test. These then are the provisional findings that may be drawn from this pre-

test:

First, there is a significantly high incidence of newspaper reading culture among people

who live in or transact business in/around Ikeja. This is made quite clear as 90% read

newspapers regularly, while 70% read more than 2 newspapers daily.

Second, the traditional functions of the mass media are still strong reasons why people

read the newspaper, and in fact many more will prefer a newspaper that is deemed more

informative and credible to one that is simply interesting. It was also discovered that the

Punch had the highest readership.

Third, readers have singular fondness for politics, sports, and front-page news. A good

number of respondents also read human angle stories, and this certainly is an important

minority.

Fourth, listening to press reviews is a definite factor that influences, or is influenced by,

newspaper reading; as more respondents still go on to read newspapers after listening to

press reports.

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