WHILE it might appear to be self-serving, the future of local newspapers will be a key issue for regional, rural and suburban voters at the next federal election, a newly released national study has found.
The biggest national survey of local news audiences in Australia, conducted as part of the Media Innovation and Civic Future of Australia’s Country Press project, reveals the passion people have for their local newspaper and has found they want a much bigger say about its future.
The Australian Research Council-funded project involves researchers from Deakin and RMIT universities with support from Country Press Australia, the peak media body for independent news organisations.
The survey findings come as country newspapers have struggled to survive during the pandemic. The survey asked almost 4200 Australian country press newspaper readers in rural, regional and outer suburban areas about the role of local newspapers within their communities and their ideas for innovation within the sector.
There is continued strong demand (and passion) for the printed product in rural and regional Australia. In fact, the majority of audiences prefer a printed newspaper, with younger generations also part of this trend. Country Press readers overall are 2.6 times as likely to read their local paper in print than in digital format.
Audiences overwhelmingly view a printed copy of their newspaper as an essential service for their community. This accords with our previous research that has advocated for recognition at the policy level of the vital importance of the printed paper.
94 percent of respondents say they should be invited to have a say about government policies and decisions affecting the future of local newspapers.
61 percent of respondents say policies that affect the future of local newspapers would influence the way they vote at the next federal election.
Audiences indicated they are five times as likely to go directly to a local news website for their local news than Google or Facebook, and almost 10 times as likely to go to the local newspaper website over a local council website for their local news and information.
Surprisingly, just 5% of younger audiences say they mostly use social media to find out about local news.
Audiences believe local newspapers should be collaboratively funded by a range of relevant stakeholders, including media companies, advertisers, subscribers, government and philanthropy to ensure their future.
Audiences overwhelmingly (71 percent) indicate any additional funding for local news should be directed to employing more local journalists to report news.
Almost 30 percent of Australia’s population, close to 8 million people, live outside major cities in rural and regional areas, and are less well serviced by the media than their urban counterparts.
