TRADITIONAL MEDIA MOST TRUSTED INFORMATION SOURCE Broadcaster More than a decade after experts predicted online media would lead to the demise of television and newspapers, traditional forms of media remain the most credible sources of information to Canadians.
According to the APEX PR Influencer Report, conducted by Leger Marketing, TV and radio top the credibility scale. In fact the top five most credible information sources were all traditional media: radio (67 per cent); television (66 per cent), national newspapers (66 per cent), regional newspapers (62 per cent) and national business magazines (52 per cent).
Interestingly, the traditional news channels also beat out friends and family, who had a credibility rating of 55 per cent, and co-workers with a rating of 38 per cent.
While traditional media has not drifted into obscurity as some pundits had predicted, consumer-generated and other new media, such as blogs, wikis, podcasts and social networking sites, are definitely on the charts, as consumers choose from the ever expanding array of information channels. In fact, one in three consumers is using a social networking site per week and 19 per cent are visiting blogs. Not surprisingly, new media was considerably lower on the credibility chart with blogs, for example, having a 10 per cent credibility rating and podcasts garnering a 7 per cent score.
"It's no secret that there are more information options than ever before, but what we've learned with this study is how and why consumers are making certain choices," said Pat McNamara, president of APEX Public Relations Inc. "It's clear that if we want to communicate with the public we need to understand where they get their information and how they are making decisions. We can't abandon traditional media, but we also need to understand that it's becoming increasingly vital to talk to audiences through multiple channels."
The APEX PR Influencer Report examined three main areas: what is the most credible source of information; what is the most accessed source of information and what is the most influential source of information when making specific purchasing decisions.
"This comprehensive study provides an unprecedented look at what information sources Canadians are using and why," said Dave Scholz, vice president of Leger Marketing. "Contrary to popular doom and gloom scenarios that speak about the impending demise of newspaper and radio, Canadians were clear that these traditional media are in fact the most trusted and credible sources. That said, a few years ago, podcasts and blogs would not have even been on the radar, so it is interesting to see that they have received as much attention and garnered as much credibility as they have, in such a short period of time."
The APEX PR Influencer Report offers a review of Canadian media usage and information source trends.
What's considered credible?
Here's a snapshot of some of the demographic differences that appeared when Canadians were asked about what they thought were credible information sources.
B.C.
Alberta
Prairies
Ontario
Quebec
Atlantic Canada
Generational and Gender differences
The study was conducted between September 7 and 18, 2007, and surveyed 1,517 adults across Canada. It is considered accurate within +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. |