NAA: Newspaper online audience continues to grow

Two reports from the Newspaper Association of America confirm the industry’s growing online audience and continued audience reach of Web and printed products.

The first report, the NAA Fall 2007 NAbase study, showed newspaper Web traffic climbing 9 percent to 59.6 million in July 2007, compared to the year-ago period.

NAdbase coincides with the release of “Newspaper Footprint: Total Audience in Print and Online,” an NAA analysis of Scarborough Research newspaper audience data.

The 11-page analysis indicates that 77 percent of adults read a newspaper in print or online each week. The analysis also provides a breakdown of various readership data in a number of areas, ranging from online purchasing decisions to household income and education level.

“As the newspaper industry moves toward measurement data reflecting the medium’s total reach and audience, this analysis is evidence of newspapers’ broad appeal in a highly competitive media marketplace,” said NAA President and Chief Executive Officer John F. Sturm.

Some highlights from the analysis include:

•Eighty-five percent of individuals with a household income of $100,000 or more read a newspaper in print or online each week.

• Nearly nine in 10 adults (89 percent) with a post-graduate degree read a newspaper in print or online each week, as did 84 percent of college graduates.

•Newspapers’ weekly footprint reached 82 percent who made online purchases in the last year.

•Newspapers’ weekly footprint reaches 84 percent of adults with a home valued at $300,000 or more.