Newspapers still rule in New Zealand

News release

15 November 2011

Newspapers still rule in New Zealand

Newspaper readership in New Zealand remains extremely high and well above the global average, according to the latest findings from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR).

The research reveals 92% of New Zealand business owners read a newspaper more than three times a week compared with the global average of 78.6%. This put New Zealand 13th out of 39 countries surveyed for newspaper readership.

Greg Thompson, Partner of Grant Thornton Zealand, said that readership of newspapers in New Zealand was extremely high when compared with 68.1% for Australian business owners, 76% for Italy, 73% France, 71% the United States and 58.5% for the United Kingdom.

“In New Zealand hard copy newspaper is still the most popular with 52% of business owners stating that as their most preferred source of news, 10% preferring electronic newspapers and only 2% stating radio. Television was the choice of 20% and desk-based internet was preferred by 12%.

“There are some interesting comparisons with Australia where radio was preferred by 13% yet television was only 10%. In the United Kingdom the popularity of electronic newspapers was high at 30.50% whereas internet desk based news was favoured by 28% in the United States,” he said.

On a global average, 39.2% selected hard copy newspapers as their preferred source of information, 11.4%electronic newspapers, 4.2% radio, 8.9% mobile internet, 25.9% desk-based internet and 8.80% television.

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