New Media Insight Project study highlights who among Gen Z and Millennials pay for or donate to news, how payers or donors get news, and the topics that drive their behavior.
As the economics of journalism continue to evolve, a defining question about the future is whether the news media can create content that consumers are willing to pay for or donate to directly.
Central to answering that question is understanding the behavior of what many publishers call the next generation of news audiences, those Americans that many legacy news organizations have found elusive: Millennials and Gen Z. Funding news examines in detail who among these audiences pay for or donate to news, how these payers or donors get news, and what topics or interests drive that behavior. This report, based on a representative sample of nearly 6,000 news consumers 16 to 40 years old, is part of a series of studies of these audiences conducted by the Media Insight Project, a collaboration of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute. The new findings expand on paying or donating behavior we touched on only briefly in two prior releases, the first on major news attitudes among Millennials and Gen Z and a second on the topics these diverse generations most often follow.
Overall, the analysis finds that 60% of people younger than 40 already pay for or donate to news in some way. And people who pay for or donate to news comprised a majority in every age category we evaluated — it is not only most older Millennials or their younger Millennial counterparts who pay for or donate to news, but also Gen Z. The older they are, however, the more likely they are to pay or donate.
In all, 51% of Gen Z (16- to 24-year-olds) pay for or donate to news, and that number rises to 63% among younger Millennials (25- to 31-year-olds) and to 67% among older Millennials (32- to 40-year-olds). The numbers suggest a real potential for sustainable revenue — if news organizations, whether legacy or start-up, can create content Millennials and Gen Zers find valuable.
The study defines those who pay for or donate to news as those who report either personally paying for or donating to either print or digital magazines, print or digital newspapers, digital news apps, nonprofit news sites, email newsletters from independent creators, video or audio content from independent creators or influencers through YouTube or podcasts, public radio, or TV.
AMONG THE STUDY’S KEY FINDINGS:
- Overall, news payers or donors younger than 40 skew older. Among 16- to 40-year-olds who pay for or donate to news, 42% are older Millennials, 29% are younger Millennials, and another 29% are Gen Z. Yet, it is important to note that paying for or donating to news is not uncommon even among this youngest generation of news consumers. About half (51%) of Gen Z pay for or donate to some type of news content or source.
- New media formats have special appeal to people younger than 40. Americans ages 16 to 40 are more than twice as likely to pay for or donate to email newsletters, video, or audio content from independent creators (47%) than to traditional sources like print or digital newspapers (22%).
by NORC
Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
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