The Pew Research Center, in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, surveyed 2,251 adults about how they retrieve information about their community across a variety of subjects.
Regardless of subject, the research center found that age was the most influential factor in how a person obtains information about their community. Among adults under 40, the Internet finished first or tied for first in 12 of the 16 topic areas surveyed. Adults older than 40 tend to stick to more traditional outlets: newspapers, TV and word of mouth.
Local TV has been long considered to have a stronghold on local news, and the survey found that more than 50 percent of all respondents said it is still their top source for breaking news and weather. For local government, a plurality of 19 percent relies mostly on newspapers. TV (28 percent) and newspapers (26 percent) dominate coverage of local politics. Residents utilize newspapers and the Internet the most to keep up with their local school system.
Interestingly, 45 percent of Americans said they didn't have a particular favorite news source, and 64 percent said they use at least three different sources weekly. Instead, as the results above show, certain outlets are developing niches in certain subjects.
Some of those topics are immensely more popular than others. More than 80 percent of Americans get local information about breaking news or the weather. Politics and crime also topped 65 percent. But less than 45 percent seek information about local government activities, social services or zoning and development.
