Where Americans Get Their News – Some Surprises
From our archives. Happy Holidays!
The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press has just released its latest biennial report on the news consumption habits of Americans. If securing news coverage plays an important role in achieving your organization's mission, and you don't read — actually, study — this report, you oughta be fired. Tons of media usage information here that is critical to planning effective media outreach strategies.
Just a sampling of findings:
- Americans spend about 67 minutes/day getting their news from all sources;
- TV is still the king of news – 57% reported getting news on TV in the last day (compared to 40% for newspapers, 36% for radio, and 23% for internet);
- Online news is only a supplement to more traditional sources – the 31% who do use the web for news still spend more time getting news elsewhere;
- The online news audience is growing up – as many people ages 50-64 regularly get news on the internet as do those in their late teens and early 20s;
- Newspaper readership continues to fall (now dropping most with older readers), and local & community news continues to be the biggest draw for newspapers;
- Only 17% say they follow national political news very closely (rising to 34% of liberal Democrats);
- NPR is a clear winner – regular listeners have doubled to 17% since 1994 (25% of college grads listen regularly, and Dems outnumber Reps almost 2:1).
A supplementary Pew analysis of the online news audience is here. A key point: “Online news has succeeded largely because of its ability to package existing information rather than generate its own journalistic identity or cachet.” People who actually report still work predominately for traditional media entities.
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
Read Full Answer
Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
Read Full Answer
Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
Read Full Answer
There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
Read Full Answer