TV and Radio the most trusted sources for news in regional Australia

The ACMA has released a series of studies about regional media that take a snapshot of the evolving consumption patterns of regional audiences.

The Local content in regional Australia 2017 report consolidates findings from three complementary reports undertaken over the past 12 months and also builds on earlier ACMA research from 2013. The results are drawn from telephone surveys of 2,457 adult regional Australians.

Much of the data focuses on tv, and is not always granular enough to give specific information about some aspects of regional radio, but there is still plenty in the report of interest to the radio industry.

Reliability and trust in local media

Of all the media surveyed, television comes up top in breaking-news reliability (green) and trust (red), followed by radio (but note that the data excludes SBS TV, narrowcast radio stations, national ABC radio networks and some others).

The ACMA chart breaks tv into two sections (Commercial and ABC), and radio into three sections (commercial, ABC and community).

When you add the two tv categories together, television overall scores 32% for reliable breaking news and 31% for trust.

When you add the three radio categories together, radio is second most reliable for breaking news (26%) behind tv, and second in trust (25%).

While 14% of regional Australians see social media as a reliable source for the very latest in breaking local news, only four per cent report it to be a trusted source of local news information where they live. Twelve per cent of regional Australians see websites (any) as a reliable source for the very latest in breaking local news; only 9% report them to be a trusted source of local news information where they live.

Females (17%) are significantly more likely than males (10%) to say that social media is the most reliable for the very latest information about breaking or unfolding local news.

Regional Australians aged 18–24 are significantly less likely than other regional Australians to view local ABC radio as the most trusted source of local news (5%) or as the most reliable for the very latest information about breaking or unfolding local news (six per cent). This group is significantly more likely than other regional Australians to see commercial TV (30%) and social media (nine per cent) as the most trusted source of local news.

Regional Australians aged 25–39 are significantly more likely than other regional Australians to view social media (24%) and websites (any) (18%) as most reliable for the very latest information about breaking or unfolding local news; and are more likely to say websites (any) are the most trusted source of local news (13%).

This age group is also significantly less likely than other regional Australians to see commercial TV (19%), local ABC radio (nine per cent) and ABC TV (4%) as most reliable for the very latest information about breaking or unfolding local news; and is less likely to see local ABC radio as a trusted source of local news (11%).

Regional Australians aged 40–54 are significantly less likely than other regional Australians to view local print newspapers as the most trusted source of local news (13%) or as the most reliable for the very latest information about breaking or unfolding local news (5%). This age group is also more likely than other regional Australians to see local ABC radio as the most trusted source of local news.

Older regional Australians are significantly less likely than other regional Australians to view social media as most reliable for the very latest information about breaking or unfolding local news. Six per cent of those aged 55–64 have this view; for those over 65, it is only 2%.

Those over 65 are also significantly less likely (3%) than other regional Australians to view websites (any) as most reliable for this purpose. Those aged over 65 are more likely to see commercial TV (30%) and ABC TV (17%) as most reliable for the very latest information about breaking or unfolding local news.

Those aged over 65 are significantly more likely than other regional Australians to view ABC TV (17% and local print newspapers (24%) as the most trusted source of local news; and less likely to see social media (zero per cent) and websites (any) (2%) as the most trusted source of local news.

Traditional media continues to be the most common source of local content

Regional Australians reported that the most common sources of local content are local print newspapers (88 per cent), commercial radio (73 per cent) and commercial TV (72 per cent). However, in each case, fewer respondents reported these sources in 2016 than in 2013, with increasing usage of the internet and social media, especially with young people.

Proportion of regional Australians who seek local content

The majority of regional Australians reported personally seeking information about local news (73%) and local community events (66%). Forty per cent reported seeking information about local sport. In each of these cases, the proportion of regional Australians seeking these types of local content was less than in 2013.

What kind of local content are they seeking most?

The studies also indicate that where there are obligations for tv stations to provide local content, the audience is more satisfied with the results. Similar information was not available for radio licence areas with obligations to broadcast a set amount of local news because the data was gathered at a state level, but radio licence areas are smaller than that.

The report, which is in several volumes, can be viewed here.
 

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