"Over the past decade, publishers across the world have been concerned about declining rates of newspaper readership among young people. Among the newspaper community - national newspaper associations, newspaper-in-education committees, and academics - there is much debate about why this is happening and how to address the issue. Are young people interested in news and information? How does technology affect their daily media consumption? What rituals do they associate with newspaper readership?"

Inspired by these questions, in early 2006, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) undertook research in an effort to develop better strategies at the global and local level for reaching and delivering news content to young readers. This 15-page report shares results from the exploratory phase of this qualitative research; while it does not offer conclusions about young readers globally, it does indicate trends in youth newspaper readership gleaned from 10 focus groups of young people (15 to 24 years old) in 10 countries (Colombia, Japan, Lebanon, the Philippines, Serbia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States).

A key finding to emerge is that young people perceive traditional media as more accurate, trustworthy, and reliable than new media, but many get most of their news and information from another source entirely: family and friends.

To detail the process that led to this conclusion, and the other findings (summarised below), WAN enlisted the Canada-based strategic research consultancy D-CODE to conduct a review of existing literature on the topic of youth newspaper readership and then to carry out one-on-one long interviews, online discussions, and media diaries with 100 young people. The insights from this process will be used to guide the next phase of Youth Media DNA, a quantitative study which will involve surveying 1,000 youth between 15 and 29 years old. The study is part of the WAN Young Reader Development Project, supported by Norske Skog, the Norway-based international paper manufacturer.

The following excerpts from the study illustrate the central questions examined by the researchers, and some general conclusions:

• Are young people getting news and information from many media sources? - "Many participants said that they feel uncomfortable trusting a single authoritative source - even among those that they rely upon on a regular basis. The use of multiple sources and formats is true not only for the formats they use, but also for the news brands they are loyal to."
• Is interest in "passive" forms of media such as radio and television waning as young people want to interact with - and contribute content to - news media? - "Despite the stated preferences for the internet as a news and information source, and the growing interest in personal devices that facilitate citizen journalism, most participants still value more traditional media sources and formats, because they are perceived as being more accurate, reliable and trustworthy."
• Are young people spending less time with traditional media and more with new media? - "Young participants said that usage of new media (i.e., computers, mobile phones, the internet, and MP3 players) is increasingly taking up time participants would have spent with traditional media, though this time is obviously restricted in countries where the digital divide remains a strong barrier. Despite this, many participants say they would like to spend more time with newspapers and other traditional sources of information. Contrary to stereotype, many young participants remained respectful of traditional information sources and few dismiss them as obsolete."
• Is the biggest competition for news and information in the future the young people themselves and their social networks? - "Feedback from participants...listed 'discussion with friends' as a top source for news and information, sometimes ranking higher than TV or newspapers. In particular, social networks appear to be key in spreading entertainment news for most young people. In future research, it will be interesting to probe deeper about the nature of how news and information are shared through social networks. Although information gathered from family and friends may not be accurate, young people appear to trust family and friends much more than media sources. Why does this appear to be the case? What topics are more appropriate for this kind of relationship?"
• Are free newspapers driving curiosity in news and inspiring youth to dig deeper? - "This issue appears to be key to the development of future strategies on youth newspaper readership. Free commuter newspapers are common to most young participants around the world and the consensus is that they drive curiosity in news and information. Overall, most participants said they read paid newspapers more frequently than free newspapers. Many respondents said that free commuter newspapers are well-suited for travel to and from school and work, while paid newspapers are more likely to be read at home."

The paper shares detailed findings from the study that focus on hypotheses in the following 6 areas:

1. News Consumption Patterns/Ritual: When and how do youth
   currently consume news?
2. News Content: What type of news and information content are youth most
   interested in? What role does age or gender play in a young person's
   information needs?
3. Newspaper Format: What does an ideal newspaper look like and feel like for
   young people?
4. Benefit and Value of News and Information: What value does news and
   information provide today's young people?
5. Social Networks: What role do social networks play in the dissemination of
   news and information?
6. Influencers: Which people influence news and newspaper consumption habits
   of young people?

An appendix at the close of the report examines country-specific issues. For example, technology adoption in Japan, particularly of mobile technology, was found to be higher than in other countries, and most Japanese participants said their use of newspapers and radio has decreased in the past 3 years. However, many also say they see emerging citizen journalism sites (e.g., blogs and YouTube) primarily as platforms for opinion sharing and debate; the newspaper is still seen as the credible source for factual information. Along these same lines, researchers found that Swedish participants appeared, more so than other countries, to have been exposed to newspaper readership in their homes and schools, and most said they read newspapers every day. In contrast, they found that television was the most trusted news and information format among South African participants - more so than either newspapers or the internet or newspapers. (In this country, cell phone usage was found to be quite high in comparison with other developing countries, and some participants said they used them to access news and information.)

Also within this country-specific appendix section, indications are provided as to how levels of internet access appear to be affecting young people's use of newspapers as a source of information. For instance, in Lebanon, lower rates of internet access mean that the printed newspaper is often more accessible than online information. Despite the varied levels of internet access in Serbia, participants said the internet was their first choice format for news and information, and that "the Internet could eventually replace newspapers." Participants from the United States say they are frequent users of the internet, and that it is beginning to become a main source of news and information. Many participants say their use of television, magazines, newspapers, and radio has decreased in the past 3 years. In contrast, few British participants said they read online newspapers and rarely visited online newspaper sites.