According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, young people prefer reading the news over watching it. When asked how they prefer to get their news, 42 percent of those aged 18 to 29 said “reading,” versus 38 percent who “watch,” and just 19 percent who would rather “listen.”
The study also showed in contrast that it is actually the older generations who prefer to watch the news over reading it.
Even though younger generations prefer to be social media dependent, read articles in bite sizes (due to shorter attention spans) and are mobile phone addicts, the result of using multiple platforms at the same time, has allowed them to practice their literacy skills and do so quickly.
What is an obvious fact and evidently shown, is the decline in newspaper, radio, and TV media consumption as generational shifts lean towards the internet.
On a positive note, the consumption of news overall isn’t a dying art of storytelling or being informed of the world, it is just that its form will eventually change.
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping America and the world, through opinion polling, demographic research and other forms of data-driven research.