The Impact study's approach to understanding content and consumer preferences is unique. Rather than asking consumers to describe what kinds of news and information they want and how these should be covered, the Impact study measured newspaper content, measured consumer reaction, and then looked for significant correlations between the two.

In a nationwide consumer study, 37,000 readers and non-readers in the 100 Impact newspaper markets told us how important different types of information and news are to them. They were also asked how satisfied they are with their local newspaper's coverage of that topic. Researchers then measured news content in those same local newspapers, documenting exactly to what consumers were reacting.

The resulting report, Newspaper Content: What Makes Readers More Satisfied, offers a fresh look at the content of U.S. daily newspapers and details how readers and non-readers respond to different content approaches.

Analyzing Newspaper Content: A How-To Guide is intended for anyone who wants to establish a reliable measure of what news and information appears in a newspaper and in what proportions. Far from being just an academic exercise, it can be a good way to bring hard evidence to discussions about "we run too much of this" or "we don't publish enough on that." It includes step-by-step instructions, ready-made forms, and advice on how to organize the process and estimate total time and cost. In addition, the guide offers comparison data that enables newspapers to compare their results with other newspapers across the United States.


Newspaper Content: What Makes Readers More Satisfied - PDF
Read the results of the Readership Institute's study of what's in U.S. daily newspapers and how consumers say it could be improved.

Newspaper Content: Newspaper Industry Results - PowerPoint
An overview presentation of what the Impact study revealed about U.S. newspaper content, how it differs by circulation size, and what is important to readers.

Newspaper Content: Data Tables and Definitions - PDF


Analyzing Newspaper Content: A How-To Guide - PDF
Use these tested methods to evaluate your editorial content and in-paper promotion.

Analyzing Newspaper Content: Forms and Instructions - Microsoft Word
Editable forms and instructions for customizing your own content analysis.

 

Impact Study: Overview Page

Impact Study: Editorial & Advertising Content