A new survey finds that TV is still by far the preferred way to access news by nearly three quarters of all Americans and that TV is still the most trusted news outlet.
The survey was produced by InkHouse and GMI, a Lightspeed Research company that surveyed 1,000 adults aged 18 and older in January of 2014.
Their data shows that 73% prefer to get their news from television, which also ranks first among the most trusted news outlets, followed by news websites (52%), print magazines and newspapers (36%), radio (25%) and social media (23%).
Not surprisingly, digital media is gaining ground, particularly among younger demos. Among those aged 25 to 44, 60% chose news websites as their preferred news source and among the 18-34 age group, 41% chose social media.
The study also found that email remains the preferred way to share news, with 34% using email, followed by 29% using social media and 8% using text messages.
But among those aged 18 to 24, 50% are more likely to share news on social media compared to 45% for the 24 to 35 age group and only eight percent of those 55 or older.
The study also highlighted a voracious appetite for news. About 60% of all Americans read or watch news every day and consume three to 10 stories a day.
But the research also highlighted the difficult economics of the news business, with 86% of respondents saying that mobile and online news should be free. Only 10% reported that they paid for online subscriptions.
