A majority of Americans say they get their local news and information online through news websites or social media, according to the Americans’ Changing Relationship With Local News survey by Pew Research Center.
Almost half (48%) of Americans prefer to get their local news and information digitally rather than TV, radio, or print newspapers, an 11% increase since 2018.
Released May 7, 2024, the Pew Research Center report is based on a survey of 5,146 U.S. adults conducted from January 22 to 28, 2024.
Key Takeaways
- Most Americans (85%) say local news is at least somewhat important to their community, which includes 44% who say local news is extremely or very important
- Almost seven in 10 (69%) say local journalists in their area are mostly in touch with their community, up from 63% in 2018
- Majority of Americans say journalists are doing well with four key reporting roles: reporting news accurately, reporting the most important stories, being transparent, and keeping an eye on local political leaders
- Only 15% of Americans say they have paid for local news in the last year, while 63% say their local news outlets are doing very or somewhat well financially
- Views toward local news is not as politically polarized as overall news media. About three-quarters of Democrats (78%) say their local media do well at reporting news accurately, compared with about two-thirds of Republicans (66%).
- The number of Americans who follow local news closely has fallen 15% since 2016, from 37% to 22%
- Americans prefer to get local news online, via news websites (26%) or social media (23%)
- Approximately 1/3 of Americans get local news from a daily newspaper, whether print, online, or on social media (down 10% from 2018)
The report describes more details and provides helpful graphs about their findings.
A Few Quick Thoughts
While I’m a big believer (and financial supporter) of local news, I’m not surprised by the results in the report.
But I was disappointed to learn how few Americans support their local news outlets.
And frustrated many Americans rely on Facebook and Nextdoor for local news (52%, up 14% from 2018).
Platforms, based on my past experience, where rumors and misinformation run rampant.
Did any of the survey results surprise you?
