Canadians stick to usual media for news, poll finds

Vancouver Sun - If you're reading this in the newspaper you're among the 95% of Canadians who turn to traditional media for your general news.

If you're reading this online, you could be among the 42% who use some form of online media for their news.

Those are among the findings of the national media choice and trust poll conducted by IDC Canada for the Information Technology Association of Canada, which concluded that while the Internet has changed people's consumption patterns for breaking news, when it comes to general news traditional media is still the entrenched choice for most Canadians.

Online content has changed consumption patterns for breaking news with 82% of poll respondents looking to traditional media -- newspapers, radio and television -- for that news.

"It's clear that Canadians are traditionalists, and overwhelmingly turn to television, newspapers, and radio for trusted news," said ITAC president Bernard Courtois. "But 65% of Canadian households have high-speed Internet, and this high level of adoption is causing a shift in behaviour, as Internet news outlets begin to creep into the media mix."

The survey, conducted among 1,000 Canadians across all regions, found that 42% access some form of online media for general news and 21% look to online sources for breaking news.

Younger Canadians, aged 18 to 24, tend more to look online for news, with 50% of people in that age group likely to get their information online.

Television rated as the top source for general and breaking news. Online forums have low use but the bigger users of them are the MTV generation and early boomers.

The study concluded age is not necessarily an indicator of adoption.

When respondents were asked where they generally go for news, more than 70% -- in all age groups -- cited television. Among the 50-plus-year-olds, that number climbed to 80%. Among all age groups close to 50% said they read the newspaper and among the 50-plus crowd, that climbed to more than 60%.

Close to 50% of those polled said they listened to the radio for news, except among the so-called Echo generation in which only 33% opted for radio news.

Online news attracted more than 30% of respondents across all age groups except for those who are 50 and over. Online portals attracted 35% of the MTV generation.

People with higher incomes tended to access online news the most. Among respondents who reported annual incomes of $100,000-plus, online news came second with 39% of respondents, after television at 72%. Radio was third at 32%.

The use of television for news drops with age, according to the study, while radio drops among the MTV and Echo generations. By comparison, online portals jump with the MTV and Echo generations and MTV and Gen X generations are the biggest consumers of online news.

The study also found larger families access and trust online news more than smaller families and French respondents trust online media more than their English counterparts.

Online news sources face a credibility challenge with only 11.5% of respondents saying they believe online media is unbiased and 12% believing that it is accurate.

"As was the case when broadcast media came along to challenge print, any new news media is viewed with skepticism, and the Internet is no different," said Courtois.

"Once the industry begins to establish trusted checks and balances, and online news media becomes mainstream, this medium will become a more credible news source for the Canadian public."