Consumer Attitudes Towards Paywalls Shifting
Newspapers
June 20, 2013 -- According to a study by Oxford University’s Reuters Institute Study of Journalism, twice as many consumers are willing to pay for online news content than a year ago, albeit the numbers are still relatively low.
The study, conducted by YouGov, polled 11,000 internet users across nine countries, including the U.S..
Findings:
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Half of global respondents (42% of American) said they had bought a printed newspaper in the last week, but only 5% said they had paid for digital news in the same time period. This is partly because the majority of online newspapers still do not have paywalls.
NEWSPAPER PURCHASE BY TYPE
Source: Oxford University’s Reuters Institute Study of Journalism, June 2013
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In the U.S, the jump in the percentage paying for some kind of digital news since last year’s survey has risen 33% – from 9% to 12%.
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Globally, the study found those ages 25 to 34 year olds are most willing to pay for online news; 20% of respondents in the age group say they have paid to access digital news.
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Tablet owners are twice as likely to pay as desktop users (24% v. 13%). The study’s authors suppose that much of this difference is likely to relate to higher personal and household income of this group and their greater interest in news.
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Over half (55%) of all tablet owners use them for news access an online newspaper weekly – with mobile users a close second (52%).
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The more devices consumers own, the more likely they are to read digital newspapers: a third of people who own one device read digital newspapers; nearly two thirds of people who own three devices read digital newspapers.
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Looking specifically at American owners of tablets and smartphones, this group is four times more likely to pay to access news online than the average American.
PAYING FOR NEWS BY DEVICE AND BY INTEREST - U.S.
Source: Oxford University’s Reuters Institute Study of Journalism, June 2013
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U.S. users of Apple devices are more likely to pay to access news online than those who use other smartphones and tablets. Users of iPads versus other tablets = 147% v. 75%, while iPhone users are 77% more likely to pay versus other smartphone users are 54% more likely to pay.
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Notable differences in patterns of payment are evident across nations, with distinct differences appearing between nations where one-day or single-article, or single-app purchase is predominant (Spain, Italy, France) and those where subscriptions to digital news are more common (US, Denmark).
TYPES OF DIGITAL NEWSPAPER PAYMENT BY COUNTRY
Source: Oxford University’s Reuters Institute Study of Journalism, June 2013
Nic Newman, author and research associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, “We’re starting to see significant shifts in public attitudes to online news, with more people starting to pay for digital news or seeming to accept that in future they will probably have to pay for a service that they currently get for free…Paywalls and apps are no longer regarded as novelties, but are now increasingly part of everyday life for many of those wanting to access news.”
About: This research was conducted by YouGov using an online questionnaire in January/February 2013. The data was weighted to targets set on age and gender, region, newspaper readership, and social grade to reflect the total population of each country. The sample is reflective of the population that has access to the internet. Core questions were asked in France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Japan, Brazil, U.S. and UK, to a nationally representative audience to provide an international comparison. The U.S. final sample size = 2,028. More about methodology.
Source: Oxford University, Reuters International Digital News Report 2013, accessed July 8, 2013.
