Request Media Kit

Internet Is the Main Source of News for 21% of Americans

Just over one-fifth of American adults now rely on the Internet as their main source of news about current events. That’s according to a new poll from Gallup. 21% of those polled answered the qu...
Internet Is the Main Source of News for 21% of Americans
Written by Josh Wolford
  • Just over one-fifth of American adults now rely on the Internet as their main source of news about current events.

    That’s according to a new poll from Gallup. 21% of those polled answered the question “what would you say is your main source of news about current events in the U.S. and around the world” with the internet. 18% of those responses were non-specific, and only 2% said that their main source was social media.

    While 21% is a pretty good chunk, it still trails the king of news dissemination, TV, by a large margin. According to Gallup’s poll, 55% of American adults still say that television is their primary source of news.

    And that holds true across age groups, education levels, employment, and political affiliations. The younger you are, the more likely you are to get most of your news online. Also, internet-primary news gatherers tend to be more educated, more employed, and independent politically.

    Lagging way behind both TV and the internet as a primary news source are both print (9%) and radio (6%). One percent of those polled specifically singled out the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR as their primary news sources.

    “Today, the Internet is ascending, but it remains to be seen if it will displace television as much as it will newspapers. Right now, the Internet is strongest among younger, working Americans, but presumably, this will change as the population ages. At the same time, newspapers strongest market, seniors, will disappear, leaving the future of that medium in serious doubt,” says Gallup.

    Basically, the current trend is toward the web. But for right now, TV is still king in the media world.

    Get the WebProNews newsletter delivered to your inbox

    Get the free daily newsletter read by decision makers

    Subscribe
    Advertise with Us

    Ready to get started?

    Get our media kit