Strong Support for News Media: Attitudes towards News on Old and New Platforms

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse attitudes towards news on old and new platforms. Our study used two types of independent variable: generation, which – along with age – is one of the most important factors explaining news media practices; and news consumption, which is strongly related to attitudes. We utilised a national mail survey of 3000 people in the Swedish population (aged 16–85) to conduct the study. The response rate in the 2010 study was a little over 60 per cent, and the survey gives a significant picture of news attitudes in the population. The findings generally show a strong degree of support for traditional news media such as television and printed newspapers. However, this support is far stronger among the older generations than the younger – who, to a larger extent, express support for other forms of news distribution, in particular the internet and social media networks.