Scots continue to have high levels of loyalty towards newspapers, with some seven out of ten of them revealing to a survey that they read newspaper content at least three or four times a week, either in print or online.
By contrast, according to an Ipsos MORI poll, only 26 per cent say they regularly visit non-newspaper news websites. That figure comprises 23 per cent for the BBC news website and three per cent for Sky news.
The newly-revealed figures are taken from a telephone survey conducted by Ipsos MORI Scotland, called the Scottish Public Opinion Monitor, which interviews a representative sample of 1000 adults in Scotland every quarter about a range of issues affecting Scotland.
The results also suggest that the supposed disinterest of young people towards newspaper content has been overstated, with 75 per cent of 18-24 year-olds surveyed saying they read newspaper content on a regular basis. By comparison, 68 per cent of 25-34 year-olds, 65 per cent of 35-54 year-olds and 73 per cent of over-55s say they read newspaper content on a regular basis.
According to the results, the affluence of the area in which people live does not have a significant impact on newspaper content readership, with 70 per cent of people in the most deprived areas in Scotland reading newspaper content on a regular basis, largely comparable with the 73 per cent in the most affluent areas who say they do also.
However, as might be expected given that lower income households are less likely to have home internet access, in the most deprived areas, the proportion of people who visit non-newspaper news websites falls to just 18 per cent – considerably lower than the 29 per cent who do so in the most affluent areas.
In detail, the results of the poll read as follows:
Percentage of people who read newspaper content, either in print or online, on a regular basis (at least three or four times a week):
Newspapers 70
Daily Record 18
The Scottish Sun 15
The Herald 10
Daily Mail 9
The Scotsman 8
Greenock Telegraph 1
Dunfermline Press <0.5
The Guardian 7
The Times 6
The (Aberdeen) Press and Journal 4
Daily Telegraph 4
The Independent 3
Scottish Daily Express 3
Glasgow Evening Times 3
Edinburgh Evening News 3
Metro 2
The Courier/Dundee Courier 2
Financial Times 1
Sunday newspapers 1
Scottish Daily Mirror 1
Aberdeen Evening Express 1
Daily Star of Scotland 1
Scottish News of the World <0.5
The Observer <0.5
News websites 26
BBC 23
Sky 3
Yahoo 1
Google <0.5
MSN <0.5
STV/STV News <0.5
CNN <0.5
Results are based on a survey of 1013 respondents conducted by telephone between August 16 and August 19. Data are weighted by age, sex and working status using census data, and tenure using SHS 2007-2008 data.
