Online newspaper users are younger, better educated and buy more online than general internet users

Posted by Bertrand Pecquerie on March 26, 2004 at 12:20 PM

People who regularly visit newspaper-produced Web sites are younger, better educated and more likely to be employed than general Internet users, according to a recent consumer study conducted for the Newspaper Association of America by MORI Research of Minneapolis (see former posting). These visitors are also affluent and more likely to shop for and buy products online.

The study, titled "Power Users 2004: Newspapers' Online Audience in a Broadband World," expands upon a similar study conducted in 2002. Among its key findings:
* The mean age of online newspaper users is 38, compared with 45 for all Web users.
* Forty-four percent of online newspaper users are between 18 and 34.
* Fifty-four percent of visitors to newspaper Web sites have college degrees, compared with 45 percent of general Web users.
* Eighty-eight percent of newspaper Web site users are employed, compared with 73 percent for all Web users.
* Eighty-four percent recently researched a purchase online, versus 59 percent for general Web users.
* Eighty-two percent recently made a purchase online, compared with 52 percent for the overall online universe.

Sources: Yahoo Finance, NAA and IFRA newsletter.