Young audiences research

Youth media consumption, student journalism and programs to encourage use of newspapers in classrooms were a core focus for The Newspaper Association of America Foundation, which merged with the American Press Institute in 2012.

The Press Institute continues to pursue new research on audience behaviors (including young audiences) in consuming all types of news. The past research by the NAA Foundation is archived here for educators, researchers or others who would like to use it.

Teachers’ Perceptions of NIE (2011)
For this report, educators in six communities across the United States were surveyed about Newspaper In Education programs and offerings. Participants included teachers who use NIE in classrooms as well as those who do not. The goal was to collect information that could be used in considering strategies to raise visibility and usage of NIE.

Youth Are Moving to Mobile Devices for Their Communication Needs: R You Here? (2010)
This study looked at how much young people value having smartphones, what content consumed their time and what types of information they sought when accessing the Internet through these mobile devices.

SchoolHouse News: A Model for Home-Delivery Newspaper In Education Programs (2010)
SchoolHouse News, a program created by the NIE department of The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., helped improve the reading comprehension of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in the Harrisburg School District. This case study details how the newspaper developed the program and also provides suggestions for other newspapers interested in launching similar efforts.

Common Threads: Linking NAA Foundation Research to Today’s Young Media Consumers (2010)
This report examined a decade’s worth of NAA Foundation research that, when laid end-to-end and supplemented by partner research, gave new insights and approaches for newspapers as they reached out to young audiences.

Fitting Into Their Lives (2010)
This report looked at three studies about youth media usage. The summary helps you get into the mindsets and lives of teens to consider what this target audience might need.

NIE in 2010 = Leaner + Locally Focused + Digital (2010)
Results from an online survey and telephone interviews combined for this in-depth look at the evolution of NIE programs.

Teens Know What They Want From Online News: Do You? (2009)
The NAA Foundation and the Media Management Center at Northwestern University teamed up to explore and put to the test better ways to match the online news preferences of teens.

Youth Media DNA (2008)
The results of a study of young people ages 15 to 29, their interest in news and their media habits reflected many of the same trends that U.S. newspaper professionals already knew.

High School Journalism Matters (2008)
This report provided evidence that student journalists earned better high school grades, performed at higher levels on college entrance exams and received higher grades in college writing and grammar courses than students who lacked that experience.

If It Catches My Eye: An Exploration of Online News Experiences of Teenagers (2008)
Based on a qualitative, in-depth study of 65 Chicago-area teens by the Media Management Center at Northwestern University, this report identified what drives online news consumption of teens.

Lifelong Readers: Driving Civic Engagement (2007)
This research study shows that teen newspaper use at home and in class helped to shape civic engagement in young adulthood.

Lifelong Readers: The Role of Teen Content (2006)
This research study concluded that newspapers with specially designed content for teens had a better chance of attracting young readers and keeping them as they age.

Growing Lifelong Readers (2004)
This report examined the impact of student involvement with newspapers on adult readership.

Measuring Success: The Positive Impact of Newspaper In Education Programs on Student Achievement (2001)
A research study found that newspaper use in the classroom helped increase test scores.

Measuring Up: The Scope, Quality and Focus of Newspaper in Education Programs in the United States (2000)
A research study profiled the state of U.S. NIE programs at the dawn of the 21st century.