For the first time since the Pew Internet Project began surveying Americans’ news consumption habits, the internet now clearly exceeds radio, and is on par with newspapers, as a major source of campaign and election news among the entire adult population (including internet users and non-users). Fully 26% of all adults now get most of their election news from the internet, nearly equal to the 28% who cite newspapers and double the 13% who listen to the radio. Television remains the most common source of election news, as 77% of Americans turn to election-related television programming for their campaign information (respondents were allowed to provide up to two sources of campaign news when answering this question). Since November 2000, the percentage of Americans relying on the internet as a major source of election news has more than doubled (from 11% to 26%) while the proportion relying on newspapers has fallen from 39% to 28% today.
The influence of the internet on news consumption habits is especially apparent when looking at internet users in general and those with a home broadband connection specifically. Within the broadband population, the internet is by far the second-most important source of campaign news, behind only television and well ahead of newspapers, radio and magazines.
Those with college degrees or high levels of income (who also have high levels of broadband adoption) are also likely to cite the internet as a major source of election news. For example, 41% of college graduates and 33% of those with some college experience cite the internet as a major source of campaign news, compared with 18% of high school graduates and just 3% of those without a high school degree.
In a similar vein, young adults continue to move away from television and newspapers and towards the internet as their primary source for a wide range of content—and election news is no different. Indeed, this is true even for a wider swath of the population. Among all Americans (internet users and non-users alike) under the age of 50, the internet well outpaces newspapers as a major source of election news. One-third (34%) of all adults in this age cohort cite the internet as a major source of campaign news, compared with just one in five who use newspapers. Similarly, while 83% of 50-64 year olds and 89% of those 65 and older get most of their election news from television, this falls to 74% for 30-49 year olds and just 67% for those under the age of 30.
Within the 77% of the population that gets much of its campaign news from television, the most common sources of programming remained stable between 2004 and 2008. As in 2004 CNN, Fox News and local news programming are the three primary sources that political news viewers turn to for election coverage.