Younger Americans regularly got election news from nationally focused newspapers at equal or greater rates than their elders; lower for local daily papers % of U.S. adults who regularly got news about the 2016 election from each newspaper, whether in printor online
Younger Americans have long been less likely to read newspapers than their elders. But a Pew Research Center survey has revealed a significant twist, at least for certain newspapers with a more national focus: When we asked people if they regularly got news about the 2016 presidential election through either the print or online version of four specific U.S. newspapers, three of these papers – The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal – attracted more adults younger than 50 than 50 and older as regular readers. As for the fourth – USA Today – younger and older Americans regularly got election news there at about the same rate.
Both The New York Times and The Washington Post were regular election news sources for about two-in-ten adults ages 18-29 and 30-49, roughly twice the rate of older age groups. For The Wall Street Journal, 15% of 18- to 29-year-olds and 12% of 30- to 49-year-olds regularly got election news there, higher than those ages 65 and older (7%), but about on par with 50- to 64-year-olds (8%). All age groups were about equally likely to get election news from USA Today.
Compared with these nationally focused newspapers, a very different picture emerges for local daily papers, of which there are more than a thousand in the U.S. About four-in-ten (43%) of those ages 65 and older regularly got news about the election from their local daily paper, which is around twice that of those 50-64 (24%), and three or more times that of those younger (13% of 30- to 49-year-olds and 10% of those ages 18-29). In fact, for adults younger than 50, local daily papers were lower than or on par with any of the four national brands asked about, whereas for people 50 and older, local daily papers exceeded each of the national brands at least twofold.
Younger Americans regularly got election news from nationally focused newspapers  | at equal or greater rates than their elders; lower for local daily papers  | % of U.S. adults who regularly got news about the 2016 election from each newspaper, whether in printor online  | The New  | The Washington  | USA  | The Wall  | Local daily  | York Times  | Post  | Today  | Street Journal  | paper  | 15%  | 10%  | 18-29  | 22%  | 18%  | 16%  | 30-49  | 22  | 19  | 12  | 12  | 13  | 50-64  | 12  | 10  | 10  | 24  | 65+  | 11  | 9  | 12  | 43  | Source Survey conducted Nov 29: Dec 12. 2016.  | Note: The specific newspa pers asked aboutwere The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, aswell  | as "your local daily paper.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 