Wednesday, August 18, 2010

"In U.S., Confidence in Newspapers, TV News Remains a Rarity"

That's the headline for the Gallup finding that only 25% of Americans have "a 'great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence" in newspapers and TV news. Already anemic trust dropped 10% between 2003 to 2007 to the current 25% level.

Even Democrats and liberals are skeptical of newspaper and TV news. Only 33% of Democrats and 35% of liberals have significant confidence in newspaper news. For television news that rate fell to 31% for Democrats and 24% for liberals.

The one silver lining in this stormy picture is that nearly half (49%) of 18 to 29 year olds express confidence in newspapers. However, that confidence doesn't play out in practical terms since fewer 18 to 29 year olds read newspapers than any other age group. In a 2008 Gallup poll, only 22% of 18 to 29 year olds said they read local newspapers. This compared to 34% of 30 to 49 year olds, 42% of 50 to 64 year olds, and 68% of those 65 years and older.

H/T Jennifer Rubin

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