Fewer newspapers being shared around the workplace, but newspaper-magazines attracting significant new audiences

A slight decline in Ireland’s newspaper readership over the past year is being linked to the continuing rise in unemployment, with fewer people working and therefore fewer newspapers being passed around offices and other places of work.

In spite of the decline, Irish readership levels remain strong, with the latest Joint National Readership Survey (JNRS) showing that more than 3 million people or 86% of the adult population are regular newspaper readers.

‘The slight fall in overall readership can be attributed, in the main part to a reduction in people at work,’ says Frank Cullen of National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI). ‘Newspapers are traditionally passed around the workplace from colleague to colleague, so with fewer people in employment there are simply fewer opportunities to share newspapers.

‘Ireland has also experienced a decline in population over the past two years, especially in the 19 to 24 age group, so the total number of adults available to read newspapers is shrinking,’ Mr Cullen added.

‘Despite that, Ireland’s overall exposure to newspapers remains consistently high,’ Mr Cullen said, ‘With 86% of the population regularly reading a newspaper we are among the most avid readers in Europe, if not the world.’

Specific content of newspaper magazines attracting new readers

The 2009/10 JNRS shows that almost 55% of people now read a daily newspaper while more that 70% read a Sunday title.

Significantly, however, readership figures for newspaper-magazines have increased substantially in the past year. According to the survey, more than 65% of adults now read a newspaper-magazine regularly whilst a recent separate piece of research shows that 40% of women are buying less consumer magazines than this time last year.

‘People recognise that newspaper-magazines offer the same level of specific content and high standard of production as most consumer magazines,’ said NNI’s Frank Cullen. ‘The big difference is that newspaper-magazines are free, and that’s the sort of value for money that consumers are now looking for.

‘The growth in newspaper-magazine readership is a big success story for our publishers, who have invested heavily in the editorial resources and technology required to produce these top quality publications,’ said Mr Cullen.