A study reveals that Americans don’t like to pay for news. Nevertheless, this doesn’t apply to all readers, with some groups in particular agreeing to pay for daily news content.
With time, physical newspapers became a thing of the past as most readers shifted to reading digital publications. This prompted many newspapers, magazines, blogs, etc., to hide their content behind a paid subscription.
Nevertheless, the habit of paying for the content you want to read, whether that’s a newspaper or a magazine, doesn’t seem to move into the digital world.
In March, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey in which nearly 9,500 participants in the US were questioned about their online news payment habits.
What do Americans do when they face a paywall?
The survey revealed that 83% of participants haven’t paid for the news in the past year. The rest (17%) shared that they paid for the news by subscribing, donating, or becoming a member of a news source.
When looking for the news online, 74% of participants admitted that they sometimes come across paid content, with 38% stating that they often run into a paywall.
One of the survey questions asked readers about their actions once they see that the content they want to read is paid.
Pew Research Center reveals that only 1% of surveyed respondents would pay for the access.
More than half of the respondents decide to look for news elsewhere, and another 32% admit to giving up on looking for the information altogether.
Why don’t Americans want to pay for the news?
The main reason surveyed readers don't want to pay for the news is that the same information can be found in other free news articles. This is especially the case when the information is related to an important or emergency situation where it’s crucial for the public to know the latest information.
Another reason people aren’t keen on paying to read certain content is that they’re not interested enough. Among other reasons why Americans don’t pay for news is that it is too expensive or that the information news outlets provide isn’t worth the money.
Who in the US chooses to pay for the news?
The survey also reveals the trends in different demographic groups.
It’s been shared that 17% of Americans pay for online news. Older Americans, highly educated adults, and Democrats are more likely to pay for the news.
For example, 25% of participants who are 65 or older have paid for the news, compared to 12% of participants aged 18 to 29.
27% of participants who are college graduates subscribed or became members of a new source, while only 9% of participants with high school education shared that they pay for the news.
21% of surveyed Democrats and 14% of surveyed Republicans paid for the news in the last year.
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