Well, happy new year everyone, and I hope you have not all deserted this blog while I have been taking a break from news junkiness.
I was going to kick off with a round up of what has been happening while I have been away, but as is the nature of the beast, the news of the moment takes precedence. The round up piece will be written shortly.
But in the meantime, I have a story in the Crikey email today about a new survey on the crucial issue of whether Australians are willing to pay for newspapers online. As promised, here are the detailed survey results, with cross tabulations for age, locality and degree of news junkiness.
This survey was undertaken by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries & Innovation at Swinburne University’s Institute for Social Research, and is part of the World Internet Project (link http://worldinternetproject.net/home.html) which is the leading international source of research on how people use the internet. Eight hundred Australian internet users responded to the question “A daily newspaper costs around $1.50. How much would you be prepared to pay to read an online newspaper?”
The results show that over seventy per cent would not consider paying anything at all. Young people are even less likely to pay, with 76 per cent of those under 24 saying they will not shell out.
|
Q41 Cost Newspaper * Q80AAGE Crosstabulation |
||||||||
|
Q80AAGE |
||||||||
|
18-24 |
25-34 |
35-49 |
50-64 |
65+ |
Total |
|||
| Q41 Cost Newspaper | $1.50 | Count |
9 |
12 |
19 |
15 |
2 |
57 |
| % within Q80AAGE |
7.6% |
7.2% |
7.2% |
8.0% |
2.9% |
7.1% |
||
| $1.00 | Count |
7 |
13 |
16 |
6 |
4 |
46 |
|
| % within Q80AAGE |
5.9% |
7.8% |
6.0% |
3.2% |
5.7% |
5.7% |
||
| 50c | Count |
7 |
17 |
18 |
15 |
6 |
63 |
|
| % within Q80AAGE |
5.9% |
10.2% |
6.8% |
8.0% |
8.6% |
7.8% |
||
| Less than .50c | Count |
4 |
12 |
23 |
14 |
8 |
61 |
|
| % within Q80AAGE |
3.4% |
7.2% |
8.7% |
7.5% |
11.4% |
7.6% |
||
| Wouldn t consider it | Count |
90 |
111 |
185 |
133 |
48 |
567 |
|
| % within Q80AAGE |
76.3% |
66.9% |
69.8% |
71.1% |
68.6% |
70.3% |
||
| Don’t Know | Count |
1 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
12 |
|
| % within Q80AAGE |
.8% |
.6% |
1.5% |
2.1% |
2.9% |
1.5% |
||
| Total | Count |
118 |
166 |
265 |
187 |
70 |
806 |
|
| % within Q80AAGE |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
||
Here are the results cross tabulated by reading habits online. They show that those who are willing to read long pieces online are more likely to be willing to pay, suggesting that ease of reading online material is going to be important.
|
Q41 Cost Newspaper * Q42 Reading Online Crosstabulation |
||||||||
|
Q42 Reading Online |
||||||||
|
Will only read what is necessary to navigate around the web |
Are prepared to read short articles (say less than 500 words) only |
Will read longer articles and essays |
Will read any length of text |
Don’t know |
Total |
|||
| Q41 Cost Newspaper | $1.50 | Count |
17 |
19 |
2 |
19 |
0 |
57 |
| % within Q42 Reading Online |
6.8% |
6.9% |
2.7% |
9.5% |
.0% |
7.1% |
||
| $1.00 | Count |
9 |
9 |
8 |
20 |
0 |
46 |
|
| % within Q42 Reading Online |
3.6% |
3.3% |
11.0% |
10.0% |
.0% |
5.7% |
||
| 50c | Count |
12 |
29 |
7 |
15 |
0 |
63 |
|
| % within Q42 Reading Online |
4.8% |
10.5% |
9.6% |
7.5% |
.0% |
7.8% |
||
| Less than .50c | Count |
9 |
24 |
9 |
19 |
0 |
61 |
|
| % within Q42 Reading Online |
3.6% |
8.7% |
12.3% |
9.5% |
.0% |
7.6% |
||
| Wouldn’t consider it | Count |
201 |
188 |
46 |
125 |
7 |
567 |
|
| % within Q42 Reading Online |
80.4% |
68.4% |
63.0% |
62.5% |
87.5% |
70.3% |
||
| Don’t Know | Count |
2 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
|
| % within Q42 Reading Online |
.8% |
2.2% |
1.4% |
1.0% |
12.5% |
1.5% |
||
| Total | Count |
250 |
275 |
73 |
200 |
8 |
806 |
|
| % within Q42 Reading Online |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
||
And here are the results tabulated by how often people look for national and local news online. Depressingly for Rupert Murdoch, they show that “news junkies” – those who check for news several times a day – are those least likely to be willing to pay for it. But the numbers involved are small, so treat the results with caution.
|
Q41 Cost Newspaper * Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news Crosstabulation |
||||||||||
|
Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
||||||||||
|
Never |
Less than monthly |
Monthly |
Weekly |
Daily |
Several times a day |
Don’t Know |
Total |
|||
| Q41 Cost Newspaper | $1.50 | Count |
17 |
5 |
9 |
11 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
57 |
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
7.9% |
7.5% |
9.0% |
6.6% |
6.2% |
.0% |
.0% |
7.1% |
||
| $1.00 | Count |
8 |
2 |
2 |
11 |
21 |
1 |
1 |
46 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
3.7% |
3.0% |
2.0% |
6.6% |
8.7% |
6.7% |
100.0% |
5.7% |
||
| 50c | Count |
8 |
9 |
6 |
10 |
30 |
0 |
0 |
63 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
3.7% |
13.4% |
6.0% |
6.0% |
12.4% |
.0% |
.0% |
7.8% |
||
| Less than .50c | Count |
9 |
3 |
4 |
23 |
21 |
1 |
0 |
61 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
4.2% |
4.5% |
4.0% |
13.8% |
8.7% |
6.7% |
.0% |
7.6% |
||
| Wouldn’t consider it | Count |
169 |
47 |
78 |
109 |
151 |
13 |
0 |
567 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
78.6% |
70.1% |
78.0% |
65.3% |
62.7% |
86.7% |
.0% |
70.3% |
||
| Don’t Know | Count |
4 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
1.9% |
1.5% |
1.0% |
1.8% |
1.2% |
.0% |
.0% |
1.5% |
||
| Total | Count |
215 |
67 |
100 |
167 |
241 |
15 |
1 |
806 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for national news |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
||
|
Q41 Cost Newspaper * Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) Crosstabulation |
||||||||||
|
Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
||||||||||
|
Never |
Less than monthly |
Monthly |
Weekly |
Daily |
Several times a day |
Don t Know |
Total |
|||
| Q41 Cost Newspaper | $1.50 | Count |
22 |
10 |
4 |
14 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
57 |
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
8.0% |
10.8% |
3.9% |
8.3% |
4.6% |
.0% |
.0% |
7.1% |
||
| $1.00 | Count |
9 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
16 |
0 |
1 |
46 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
3.3% |
4.3% |
3.9% |
7.1% |
10.5% |
.0% |
100.0% |
5.7% |
||
| 50c | Count |
14 |
8 |
12 |
11 |
18 |
0 |
0 |
63 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
5.1% |
8.6% |
11.7% |
6.5% |
11.8% |
.0% |
.0% |
7.8% |
||
| Less than .50c | Count |
18 |
5 |
8 |
15 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
61 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
6.5% |
5.4% |
7.8% |
8.9% |
9.2% |
7.1% |
.0% |
7.6% |
||
| Wouldn’t consider it | Count |
209 |
65 |
71 |
113 |
96 |
13 |
0 |
567 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
76.0% |
69.9% |
68.9% |
67.3% |
63.2% |
92.9% |
.0% |
70.3% |
||
| Don’t Know | Count |
3 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
1.1% |
1.1% |
3.9% |
1.8% |
.7% |
.0% |
.0% |
1.5% |
||
| Total | Count |
275 |
93 |
103 |
168 |
152 |
14 |
1 |
806 |
|
| % within Q37 Specific Information – Look for local news (local community) |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
||
And some stuff cross tabulating the results by internet use. All pretty much as one would expect.
|
Q41 Cost Newspaper * Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups Crosstabulation |
||||||
|
Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
||||||
|
5 hours or less |
5- 20 hours |
More than 20 hours |
Total |
|||
| Q41 Cost Newspaper | $1.50 | Count |
23 |
17 |
17 |
57 |
| % within Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
8.5% |
5.3% |
7.9% |
7.1% |
||
| $1.00 | Count |
12 |
19 |
15 |
46 |
|
| % within Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
4.4% |
5.9% |
7.0% |
5.7% |
||
| 50c | Count |
18 |
19 |
26 |
63 |
|
| % within Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
6.7% |
5.9% |
12.1% |
7.8% |
||
| Less than .50c | Count |
15 |
27 |
19 |
61 |
|
| % within Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
5.6% |
8.4% |
8.8% |
7.6% |
||
| Wouldn’t consider it | Count |
199 |
232 |
135 |
566 |
|
| % within Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
73.7% |
72.5% |
62.8% |
70.3% |
||
| Don’t Know | Count |
3 |
6 |
3 |
12 |
|
| % within Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
1.1% |
1.9% |
1.4% |
1.5% |
||
| Total | Count |
270 |
320 |
215 |
805 |
|
| % within Q8 & 11 a&b Using internet at home ordinal 3 groups |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
||
But here is an interesting one, although the results should come with the caution that the numbers of respondents are too low for firm conclusions. Nevertheless, the figures seem to indicate that those urban dwellers with limited access to “quality” newspapers are most likely to be prepared to consider paying for news online. Look at the figures for urban Tasmanians and Western Australians, for example, compared to those for the ACT – which has ready access to all the nation’s broadsheets.
|
Q41 Cost Newspaper * Q99LOC Crosstabulation |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Q99LOC |
||||||||||||||||||
|
NSW Urban |
NSW Rural |
ACT |
NT Urban |
NT Rural |
QLD Urban |
QLD Rural |
SA Urban |
SA Rural |
TAS Urban |
TAS Rural |
VIC Urban |
VIC Rural |
WA Urban |
WA Rural |
Total |
|||
| Q41 Cost Newspaper | $1.50 | Count |
5 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
9 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
6 |
8 |
2 |
57 |
| % within Q99LOC |
3.4% |
9.0% |
8.7% |
.0% |
14.3% |
8.5% |
8.3% |
2.6% |
8.7% |
6.7% |
.0% |
5.8% |
8.6% |
14.0% |
7.4% |
7.1% |
||
| $1.00 | Count |
5 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
46 |
|
| % within Q99LOC |
3.4% |
6.0% |
.0% |
14.3% |
.0% |
5.7% |
1.7% |
10.5% |
4.3% |
6.7% |
14.3% |
8.0% |
1.4% |
7.0% |
18.5% |
5.7% |
||
| 50c | Count |
9 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
12 |
4 |
7 |
1 |
63 |
|
| % within Q99LOC |
6.1% |
4.5% |
.0% |
.0% |
.0% |
10.4% |
8.3% |
10.5% |
13.0% |
20.0% |
14.3% |
8.7% |
5.7% |
12.3% |
3.7% |
7.8% |
||
| Less than .50c | Count |
13 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
61 |
|
| % within Q99LOC |
8.8% |
13.4% |
8.7% |
.0% |
.0% |
4.7% |
3.3% |
7.9% |
8.7% |
13.3% |
14.3% |
7.2% |
5.7% |
7.0% |
14.8% |
7.6% |
||
| Wouldn’t consider it | Count |
112 |
45 |
19 |
10 |
12 |
74 |
47 |
26 |
15 |
7 |
4 |
95 |
54 |
33 |
14 |
567 |
|
| % within Q99LOC |
76.2% |
67.2% |
82.6% |
71.4% |
85.7% |
69.8% |
78.3% |
68.4% |
65.2% |
46.7% |
57.1% |
68.8% |
77.1% |
57.9% |
51.9% |
70.3% |
||
| Don’t Know | Count |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
12 |
|
| % within Q99LOC |
2.0% |
.0% |
.0% |
14.3% |
.0% |
.9% |
.0% |
.0% |
.0% |
6.7% |
.0% |
1.4% |
1.4% |
1.8% |
3.7% |
1.5% |
||
| Total | Count |
147 |
67 |
23 |
14 |
14 |
106 |
60 |
38 |
23 |
15 |
7 |
138 |
70 |
57 |
27 |
806 |
|
| % within Q99LOC |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
||
5 Comments
Margaret, I’m not sure what you meant in the Crikey piece about the numbers of respondents. The sample should be big enough to be representative of the population with about a 3-4% margin of error, if the survey’s been conducted professionally (as I’m sure it has). Doubling the sample, for instance, would only give you a slight increase in confidence that it was representative.
Provided you have a sufficient number, statistically, that’s all you need.
While these results are interesting in the abstract, I suspect they basically irrelevant to the question of whether people will pay for news online. It is not at all surprising that people *say* they are not willing to pay much for news online when (i) they currently get it for free and (ii) they don’t know what exactly it is that will be on offer.
Is this data going into any journal in particular? Would prefer to see a few more stats, like some measurements of error at the least, and some statistical comparison across groups.
Mark, Yes the survey sample is of an adequate and meaningful size, but what I meant is that by the time you get down to comparing Tassie with the ACT, for example, the actual numbers of people involved are small, as the tables show. So that aspect of the results should be treated with caution. As for the big picture – the numbers of people who think at this stage that they would or would not pay – the survey size is certainly adequate for conclusions to be drawn on people’s current attitudes.
But, Michael, I agree there may well be a difference between a question asked in the abstract, and people’s actual behavior when it comes down to a particular spending choice. I guess this is what Rupert is banking on.
NickE, We certainly will be publishing more of the results- our report will be out in the next month and details of publication can be found here http://www.cci.edu.au/projects/digital-futures
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