News as We Age 1  

Running Head: NEWS AS WE AGE

NEWS AS WE AGE: IS THERE REALLY A GENERATION GAP IN PERCEPTIONS

OF THE MEDIA?

Kathleen Sharp

Samford University

December 9, 2015

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Abstract

The emergence of the Internet has transformed the way people receive news.

Since news has become immediate, there is new pressure for the media to stay up-to-date.

Has this altered the public’s view of the media, and is there a difference in opinion

among generations? The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in media

usage and perception among three different generations.

For this study, the researcher surveyed 185 people ages 19 and older. Group A

consisted of 119 males and females ages 19-30, Group B consisted of 37 males and

females ages 31-60, and Group C consisted of 28 males and females ages 61 and older. A

twelve-question survey was conducted with questions to gauge media usage and assess

participants’ perceptions of the media.

Over half of Group A ranked social media as their first source for news, whereas

only a few in Group B and none in Group C listed it as their number one source. Group A

also claimed to follow the news least often and was the most likely to have a negative

perception of the media. Interestingly, participants in Groups B and C clearly claimed to

have a more positive perception of the media of the past when asked to describe what

media was like in the past when they were younger. These participants said the media

was fairer and more reputable in the past. The study showed that people of all ages today

have a more negative attitude towards the media today than they have had in the past. It

also showed that there is a distinct generation gap in terms of media usage and

perception. Answers from participants in Group A were much different than from those

in Group C.

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News as We Age: Is There Really a Generation Gap in Perceptions of the Media?

Out of the 7.2 billion people on the planet, there are over three billion active

Internet users and about 2.1 billion people with social media accounts (Bullas, 2015). Not

only has the rise of Internet and social media usage affected the way people interact and

connect with one another but also the way people receive news. According to Pew

Research (Duggan et al. 2014), half of social network site users have shared posts of

news stories, images, or videos, and 46% have discussed a news issue or event on social

media. A portion of users has also posted photos or videos of news events themselves,

making breaking news even more accessible and immediate.

The rise of the Internet and social media has placed pressure on American

journalism to be instant. News sources race to report information quicker than their

competition. In certain instances, this has caused even reputable sources to make

mistakes and report false information. In 2012, for example, both CNN and Fox News

were criticized for misinterpreting the Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act decision and

incorrectly declaring that it had been struck down (Silverman, 2012). The rise of the

Internet and social media has also crowded the amount of information the public receives

each day. Not only are journalists competing to provide quick news but also entertaining

and engaging news so that their content will stand out from the rest. If journalists are not

careful, this shift can alter the purpose of news, which, in turn, can alter the public’s

perception of the media.

Internet news and social media seem to appeal more to young people than to older

ones. And as the Internet has grown, so has the number of news stories that pass along

questionable information posted by poorly informed social media users or those who

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deliberately intend to distort information. Is the result a generation gap in the news? Do

the different generations perceive the news differently? In this paper, the researcher will

compare the opinions of three different generations to examine the differences in

perception of the media. In a study in 1981, Stephens found a distinct generation gap in

media usage and perception. Because the Internet has transformed communication since

the 1980s, has this generation gap widened? How does each generation perceive the

media and how is it different from what older generations perceived when they were

younger? This paper attempts to answer those questions.

Literature Review

A wide variety of scholarship has examined perception and attitude in regards to

the media. Scholars Stroud and Lee (2013) researched the public’s perception of the

credibility of cable television news shows. Stroud and Lee used survey data from 2006

and 2008 to examine American credibility assessments of CNN and FOX to explain

different patterns of perceived trust. They found that the respondents’ political ideology

affected their perceptions of bias. Liberals saw more bias in FOX, the channel known to

be prone to favor conservative viewpoints, while conservatives saw more bias in CNN,

the assumed more liberal news source. Stroud and Lee concluded that those who claimed

differences between the networks’ credibility were more politically knowledgeable, and

their political attitudes were more polarized. Liberal Democrats were also found more

likely not to trust either network. Stroud and Lee concluded that those who distrusted

both CNN and FOX also distrusted the government. They suspected this was the result of

an anti-President George Bush, rather than a pure anti-government, response.

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In another study, Xie and Zhao (2014) evaluated the factors influencing Chinese

college students’ perceptions of traditional and professional media credibility. After

surveying the students, Xie and Zhao found that professional media outlets were seen as

more credible than the party-controlled outlets. They concluded that Chinese audiences

link an investigative function as well as an adversarial relationship with the government

to higher media credibility. Perceptions of credibility were strongly tied to political

attitudes and knowledge.

Another international study on opinions of the media surveyed the Swedish

population. Scholars Bergström and Wadbring (2012) analyzed generational attitudes

towards media. Their findings revealed strong support among older generations for

traditional media sources, such as television and print newspapers, and strong support

among the younger generations for other news outlets, such as the Internet and social

media. However, regardless of these generational differences, Bergström and Wadbring

also noted that two-thirds of the respondents communicated that “it was desirable to

watch television news every evening,” and half agreed that “each individual has a duty to

remain informed about what is going on in society” (Bergström and Wadbring, 2012, pp.

121-22). They concluded that there is a generally positive attitude towards the media in

Swedish society.

In another study, Ewing (2013) examined Australian perceptions of television

advertising across 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2010. This provided a quasi-longitudinal

assessment of changes in attitude. The results showed a negative attitude towards

advertising in the Australian community. Even ratings on the positive outcomes

associated with television advertising, such as providing entertainment and product

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information, were low. The ratings remained stable across each of the four years studied.

Ewing concluded that cynicism and distrust of television advertising remained high over

time, and thus television advertising in Australia has an image problem in the general

community.

Scholars Gronke and Cook (2007) studied the American yearly General Social

Survey from 1974, in the wake of Watergate, until 2004. A chart of the responses

revealed a steep and rather steady decline in confidence in the press. Another interesting

aspect they noticed was that this constant negative pattern was only apparent for the press

and not for other social and political institutions included in the survey, such as religion,

education, and unions. Over time, it appeared that strong partisans, people who were

more religiously involved, those whose party was in power, and those with improved

finances tended to have more sympathy towards institutions besides the press. Gronke

and Cook concluded that, after the Watergate years of watchdog journalism faded, the

public’s attitude became more cynical and critical of the press.

A now outdated study reflected a generation gap in opinions of the media. In

1981, Stephens compared young, middle-aged, and elderly respondents in a self-

administered questionnaire. Results in the media-use category indicated that older

respondents watched television and read the paper more often than young and middle-

aged respondents. However, younger females appeared to listen to the radio slightly

more, and elderly males appeared to listen slightly less. In regards to attitudes towards

media, Stephens found that people’s perceptions also differed at various ages. Older

adults still placed a great deal of faith in the media, while young and middle-aged

respondents believed it was getting worse. An exception to this was that young and

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middle-aged respondents expressed an increase in enthusiasm for magazines. Stephens

attributed this to a trend towards more specialized material.

These studies shed interesting light on the public’s opinion of the media across

time. But how does the American public feel about the general media today, in 2015? Are

there differences between generations now that social media has such a large presence?

Where are people getting their news and what media do they trust? This paper will

answer those questions.

Methodology

The researcher conducted the study by sampling three different groups of people

based on generation. Respondents ages 19-30 were group A, those ages 31-60 were group

B, and those ages 61 and older were group C. An online survey was created using

Qualtrics and distributed to the groups via social media and email in order to reach a

large amount of people in an easily accessible manner. Since many senior citizens do not

have access to the Internet, a portion of Group C was also reached and surveyed in person

at Somerby, an assisted living home in Birmingham, Ala. All participants were informed

that the survey was voluntary and anonymous. They were also informed that some of the

questions were age-specific, and that they should answer for every category they fit.

The first few questions inquired the respondents’ age, gender, occupation, and

location in order to analyze factors that may influence their perceptions of the media. The

purpose of the next set of questions was to determine the types of media sources each

respondent primarily uses and the frequency with which he or she keeps up with the

news.

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The following two questions used a five-point Likert scale to measure the level of

trust the respondent has for the media and journalists in general. In each question, the

negative side of the scale was the lower numbers and the positive side was the higher

numbers so that feedback could be more easily quantified. For example, in the first

question, a one signified “not trustworthy at all” and a five denoted “completely

trustworthy.”

Question nine was designed to further the findings from Stephens’ (1981) study.

Some of the same questions were used, but online newspapers and social media were also

incorporated. This was to show whether these new forms of media have influenced public

attitudes towards the media. The final three questions were age-specific so that the

researcher could determine if older respondents had felt their own attitudes towards the

media change over time. These questions asked respondents to “describe the media by

checking all that apply” from a list of 12 options, including six positive attributes and six

negative ones. The positive and negative options were distributed evenly in order to be

discreet and unbiased.

A copy of the recruitment script and survey are attached.

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Results

Through the survey, people from across the United States and a few other nations

shared their opinions of the media as a whole and described how they perceive the

different media outlets. The researcher surveyed a total of 185 people: 119 in Group A,

37 in Group B, and 28 in Group C. 15 of the participants in Group C were surveyed in

person. There were substantially more respondents in Group A because the survey link

was primarily shared on the researcher’s personal social media platforms, which reached

the youngest generation more than the other two.

Group A: Demographics and Media Usage

Group A consisted of 24 males (20.2%) and 95 females (79.8%) ages 19-30. A

total of 78, or 65.6%, of the respondents in Group A classified themselves as “students.”

Other occupations ranged from teachers and entrepreneurs to graphic designers and

marketing professionals. Alabama was the most recorded location of residency with 50

respondents, or 42% of Group A. The other states represented included Florida with 28

respondents, or 23.5% of Group A; Georgia with 10 respondents, or 8.4% of Group A;

and the remaining 26.1% of Group A recorded other states across the United States

(Tennessee, North Carolina, Massachusetts, California, Arkansas, Arizona, Pennsylvania,

New York, Colorado, Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina) and even

a few other countries including Canada, Denmark, and Rwanda.

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Figure 1: Group A Media Usage Ranking

The 119 participants in Group A were asked to rank-order which news sources

they used, including paper newspaper, radio, television, magazine, online newspaper,

social media, other, and “I don’t keep up with news.”

As depicted in Figure 1, the results show that the majority of respondents ages 19-

30 said they use social media most often for their source for news. 70 respondents, or

58.8% of Group A, ranked social media first. No other news source came close to this

result. Online newspaper was ranked first by 21 respondents, or 17.6% of Group A, and

television was ranked first by 9 respondents, or 7.6% of Group A. Very few respondents

selected the “other” and “I don’t keep up with news” choices. Those who did rank

“other” most often listed “theSkimm,” a daily email newsletter, as the source. Although

every source did not have to be ranked, almost all respondents ranked social media. Only

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8 of the respondents, or 6.7% of Group A, said they did not use social media at all.

Online newspaper was ranked second the most, with 31 respondents, or 26.1% of Group

A. No one ages 19-30 used paper newspaper as his or her top choice for news, and radio

and magazine were also rarely the top choice.

It was interesting that such a tremendous number of young people marked social

media as their preferred method of getting news. Clearly the results showed that social

media is a popular platform for young people ages 19-30. All in all, survey participants

ages 19-30 overwhelmingly chose to get their news via a glowing screen—via social

media, online newspapers, or television, but with a huge bias toward social media.

Despite the fact that traditional media, including paper newspapers, radio, and

magazines, were not the first choice of participants in Group A, they were occasionally

mentioned as lesser choices by being ranked a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. 70 respondents, or

58.8% of Group A, used paper newspapers at least sometimes, with 83 respondents, or

69.7% of Group A, listening to news on the radio at times, and 66 respondents, or 55.5%

of Group A, turning to magazines from time to time. However, these traditional media

were almost always ranked behind social media and online newspapers. The only

traditional media that was used in noticeable numbers among young participants was

television, although it was not nearly as popular as social media.

Clearly participants ages 19-30 were on the cutting edge, wringing news out of

the latest means of communication, social media.

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Figure 3: Group A Media Usage Regularity

When asked, “How regularly do you keep up with news?” only 15, or 12.6%, of

Group A said they kept up with the news all of the time. 32 respondents, or 26.9% of

Group A, said they kept up with the news often, while 40 respondents, or 33.6%, of

Group A said they kept up with the news occasionally. 25 respondents, or 21% of Group

A, admitted they only paid attention to news if they happened to see or hear about

something that interested them. No one said they never kept up with the news. The

participants who chose “often” or “all of the time” were more likely not to have ranked

social media first in the previous question. 53% of those who selected “often” as well as

53% of those who selected “all of the time” had ranked a source other than social media

first. Only 22.5% of those who selected “occasionally” and 24% of those who selected “if

I happen to see or hear about something that interests me” had ranked a source other than

social media first. Since it was rare for a participant in Group A to rank a source other

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than social media first, this suggests that those who relied on sources other than social

media for news consider themselves to follow the news more often than those whose

primary source for news is social media do. In short, those who deliberately consumed

the news did not seem to get their news from social media. Social media seemed to be an

almost accidental news source.

Group A: Perceptions

Figure 4: Group A Perceptions of Trustworthiness

The first two questions measuring participants’ perceptions used a five-point

Likert scale. The first question asked, “On a scale of 1 to 5, when I say ‘the media’ what

comes to mind first?” As shown in Figure 4, the most popular answer among respondents

ages 19-30 was a 2, which indicated “slightly untrustworthy.” 60 respondents chose this,

or 50.4% of Group A. The next most popular choice was a 4, which indicated “somewhat

trustworthy.” 33 respondents chose this, or 27.7% of Group A. No respondents selected a

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5, which indicated “completely trustworthy,” but 12 participants, or 10.1%, selected a 1,

which indicated “not trustworthy at all.” 6 respondents, or 5%, selected a 3, which

indicated “no opinion.” The average score was 2.37, which would indicate overall the

media were perceived of just barely better than slightly untrustworthy. Clearly younger

participants in the survey did not trust media too much.

Figure 5: Group A Perceptions of Reporter Sympathy

The next Likert scale question asked, “On a scale of 1 to 5, when I say “reporter”

what comes to mind first? Someone who is: 1 not sympathetic at all, 2 slightly

unsympathetic, 3 no opinion, 4 somewhat sympathetic, or 5 completely sympathetic.” As

shown in Figure 5, the results were inconclusive. 43 of the respondents, or 36.1% of

Group A, selected a 3 for “no opinion.” This was the most popular answer, with the next

two most-selected answers nearly mirroring one another. 31 of the respondents, or 26.1%

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of Group A, chose a 4 for “somewhat sympathetic,” and 29 of the respondents, or 24.4%

of Group A, chose a 2 for “slightly unsympathetic.”

Only 2 respondents, or 1.7% of Group A, selected a 5 for “completely

sympathetic. One was a female student from Birmingham, Ala. who claimed to keep up

with the news often and ranked television as her number one source for news and “apps

and TheSkimm” as her second source. She had described the media in the previous

question with a 4 for “somewhat trustworthy.” The other to select a 5 to describe

reporters was a female marketing professional from Birmingham, Ala. who also claimed

to keep up with the news often but ranked online newspaper first and social media second

in keeping up with the news. Interestingly, this same participant used a 2 for “slightly

untrustworthy” to describe the media as a whole. Out of the 6 participants who selected a

1 for “not sympathetic at all,” 4 were females who claimed they only keep up with news

“if I happen to see or hear about something that interests me,” ranked social media and

online newspapers as their top two sources for news, and described the media using either

a 1 or a 2 for “not trustworthy at all” or “slightly untrustworthy.” Interestingly, while

most of these 6 described themselves as only occasionally keeping up with the news or

“if I happen to see or hear about something that interests me,” one male who found

reporters not sympathetic claimed to keep up with the news “all of the time.” However, it

appeared that younger participants fell somewhat middle of the road about reporters. The

average score was 2.75, which leaned just slightly lower than “no opinion.”

All in all, the 19-30 age group more or less showed a balanced view of reporters

in terms of sympathy, with few extreme feelings.

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Figure 6: Group A Perceptions of Different Sources

As depicted in Figure 6, the next group of questions asked participants to indicate

one news source they felt best answered each question that described the media. For

example, the first question asked which type of media “is the most entertaining?” The

most popular answer was television at 46 respondents, or 38.7% of Group A, and social

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media followed closely behind at 42 respondents, or 35.3% of Group A. It’s not

surprising that these two media were considered the most entertaining, since TV is mostly

filled with entertaining shows and social media is often used to pass leisure time with

friends. People come to these media chiefly to be entertained. Interestingly, these sources

for news were also the two most popular answers for three other questions: which news

source is most biased, which brings the latest news, and which is getting worse all the

time. When asked which “is the most biased?” 44 respondents, or 37% of Group A,

checked television and 38 respondents, or 31.9% of Group A, checked social media.

Clearly, entertaining media does not have a good reputation with young consumers when

it comes to lack of bias, or objectivity. In response to which “brings you the latest news?”

56 respondents, or 47.1% of Group A, selected social media and 25 respondents, or 21%

of Group A, selected television. Again, the entertaining media were also the quickest

ones. Perhaps this is because people were already using the sources for entertainment.

Thus, social media and television were the place where participants saw breaking news

first. When asked which type of media “seems to be getting worse all the time?” 36

respondents, or 30.3% of Group A, chose television and 27 respondents, or 22.7% of

Group A, chose social media. Thus, much of the Group A generation had mixed attitudes

towards television and social media. While valued for their entertainment and speed,

television and social media were selected as “the most biased” and were most popularly

deemed to be “getting worse all the time.” The fact that these “getting worse” sources

were also the quickest deliverers of news perhaps indicates that the rush to tell the news

means the news is getting worse—at least as the young participants perceived it. These

sources also scored poorly for objectivity, indicating how they are getting worse.

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On the other hand, most participants decided that paper newspapers are “the least

biased” and “present news most intelligently.” When asked which “is the least biased?”

49 respondents, or 41.2% of Group A, selected paper newspaper. The second most

popular answer was the “none” option with 24 respondents, or 20.2% of Group A—in

other words, some 20% felt that all news sources were biased. In response to which

“presents news most intelligently?” 59 respondents, or 49.6% of Group A, picked paper

newspaper. The next most popular selection was online newspaper with 18 respondents,

or 15.1% of Group A, allowing newspapers as a whole to dominate this question. Online

newspaper was also the most selected option when asked which “seems to be getting

better all the time?” with 44 respondents, or 37% of Group A. Clearly younger news

consumers, by and large, revere newspapers—but unfortunately for newspapers, this

young group rarely reads them, as earlier results show. It is fascinating, though, that the

younger participants still largely share a reverence for newspapers as the gold standard in

news, despite not reading them. Social media ranked second when participants were

asked which medium was getting better all the time, with 32 respondents, or 26.9% of

Group A marking social media. Although social media was also the second most popular

choice for “seems to be getting worse all the time,” more respondents chose it for “seems

to be getting better all the time.” It is also interesting to note that the only questions that

more than a couple of respondents chose “none” for were “seems to be getting better all

the time” and “the least biased.” Although it was not ever the most popular choice, this

trend suggests that there were several respondents in Group A who have such a negative

perception of the media that they did not believe any news source lacks bias or is getting

better with time.

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This particular set of questions was used to further findings from Stephens’

(1981) study, which surveyed participants before the dawn of the Internet and social

media. In Stephens’ study, only television, radio, newspapers, and magazines were given

as options to choose from. Television was most selected among the youngest generation

for “most entertaining,” with 79% of females and 88% of males. Today’s young

participants’ views on entertaining news were not much different, since television was

still regarded as the most popular choice with 38.7% of Group A. However, it is notable

that social media has risen to almost match television in the “most entertaining category”

among the youngest generation with 35.3% of Group A. Stephens did not ask participants

which was “the most biased” or “the least biased,” but when asked “which presents news

most news most intelligently,” her respondents’ most popular answers were newspapers

with 41% of young females and 27% of young males, and magazines with 41% of young

females and 44% of young males. While very few of today’s young participants chose

magazines, 49.6% of Group A selected paper newspapers, suggesting that print media has

been thought to “present news most intelligently” among the youngest generation both in

1981 and in 2015. However, when asked “which brings you the latest news,” 47.1% of

today’s participants chose social media, which was not even in existence in 1981.

Television was selected most often in 1981, with 47% of young females and 44% of

young males. Television was the second most popular answer among today’s young

participants, with 21% of Group A. Interestingly, radio was also a popular answer for

“which brings you the latest news” in 1981, with 44% of young females and 31% of

young males. Only 2 of today’s young participants, or 1.7% of Group A, chose radio.

Therefore, social media has had a major impact in this category. The majority of today’s

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youngest generation perceived social media to be the fastest form of media, lessoning

television’s impact and almost completely shutting out radio’s influence. When asked

“which seems to be getting better all the time,” television and magazines almost tied for

the most popular answers among young participants in 1981. 30% of young females and

40% of young males chose television, and 30% of young females and 39% of young

males chose magazines. These results were very different from today’s results. The most

popular responses from young participants in 2015 were online newspapers and social

media. Only 3 participants, or 2.5% of Group A, chose television, and only 1 participant,

or 0.8% of Group A, chose magazines. However, most participants both in 1981 and in

2015 agreed that television was “getting worse all the time.” 56% of young females and

38% of young males chose television in 1981, and 30.3% of Group A chose television in

2015.

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Figure 7: Group A Perceptions of the Media Today by Description

As shown in Figure 7, the final question of the survey asked respondents to

“describe the media by checking all that apply” from a list of 12 options, six positive

descriptions and six negative descriptions. While the positive and negative options were

evenly mixed in the survey list, they’ve been grouped together in Figure 7 to be more

visually helpful. The negative options are displayed on the left of the graph, and the

positive options are displayed on the right.

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An overwhelming majority described the media as “easily accessed.” 89

respondents, or 74.8% of Group A, checked this option, making it the most popular.

Although the most popular option was a positive trait, the negative options were more

consistently checked. Every negative description was checked by 47 or more

respondents, or 39.5% or more of Group A (“in your face” with 55 respondents, or

46.2%, “tiring to keep up with” with 60 respondents, or 50.4%, “unfair” with 50

respondents, or 42%, “insensitive” with 47 respondents, or 39.5%, “fascinated with

shocking or sensationalist stories” with 70 respondents, or 58.8%, and “annoying” with

52 respondents, or 43.7%). Alternatively, only two of the positive descriptions were

checked by that same amount or more: “easily accessed” with 89 respondents, or 74.8%,

and “informative” with 57 respondents, or 47.9%. The option “helpful” was also close

with 44 respondents, or 37% of Group A. However, the other three positive descriptions

were nowhere near that amount. “Fair,” “personable,” and “reputable” were only checked

by 11 respondents or less, which is 9.2% or less. Therefore, while many Group A

participants claimed to perceive the media as accessible, informative, and helpful, they

also considered the media to be aggressive, unfair, insensitive, sensationalist, and

annoying. Very few of the youngest generation claimed to perceive the media to be fair,

personable, or reputable.

Group B: Demographics and Media Usage

Group B consisted of 6 males (16.2%) and 31 females (83.8%) ages 31-60. There

was no dominant occupation among the group. Occupations ranged from broadcast

professionals and software engineers to a dog behaviorist and a mail clerk. The two most

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recorded locations of residency with 7 respondents each, or 18.9% of Group B, were

Alabama and Florida. North Carolina was next with 4 respondents, or 10.8% of Group B.

The remaining states represented were Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts, Georgia,

Minnesota, Nevada, Tennessee, Washington, Louisiana, Arizona, California, and

Virginia. There was also one respondent who listed England as her location of residency.

Figure 8: Group B Media Usage Ranking

As with Group A, Group B participants were asked to rank-order their sources of

news. As shown in Figure 8, online newspaper was chosen most often by Group B as the

participants’ primary source for news with 11 respondents, or 29.7% of Group B, ranking

online newspaper first. Interestingly, 11 other respondents, also 29.7% of Group B did

not even rank online newspapers at all, but marked other media as their primary source of

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news. The second most popular media noted as the top choice for Group B showed the

same pattern. 8 respondents, or 21.6% of Group B, ranked television first, whereas 7

respondents, or 18.9% of Group B, did not use television at all. In fact, for every news

source, the amount of respondents who did not rank it was almost as high or higher than

any other rank category. Every time someone marked a type of news source as his or her

favorite, someone else indicated he or she did not use it at all. Paper newspaper was

ranked first by 4 participants, or 10.8% of Group B, and not used at all by 11 participants,

or 29.7% of Group B. Radio was ranked first by 5 respondents, or 13.5% of Group B, and

not used at all by 7 respondents, or 18.9% of Group B. Magazine was not ranked first by

any participants and was not used at all by 22 participants, or 59.5% of Group B, making

it the least popular media source. Social media was ranked first by 4 respondents, or

10.8% of Group B, and not used at all by 8 respondents, or 21.6% of Group B. This

suggests that there was not a strong trend among the pool of participants and that many

had opposite media usage tendencies than one another. “I don’t keep up with news” and

“other” were rarely used. Only one person used “I don’t keep up with news” and it was

given a ranking of 7. The few who ranked “other” listed news sites such as “wral.com”

and “Fox News,” which are TV news-related websites. An exception is a female educator

who wrote in “content marketing/PR” for her “other.”

In comparison with Group A, it is clear that Group B did not rely on social media

as heavily. Just 10.8% of Group B reported social media as their primary source in

comparison with 58.8% of Group A. Additionally, a higher percentage did not use social

media at all. 21.6% of Group B did not include social media in their rankings compared

to 6.7% of Group A. While online newspaper was most often selected as the primary

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source in Group B, it did not stand out as much in Group A. 29.7% of Group B chose

online newspaper as their primary source in comparison with 17.6% of Group A. In fact,

the percentages of top ranks differed between groups for every media source. 10.8% of

Group B chose paper newspaper compared to 0% of Group A, 13.5% of Group B chose

radio compared to 3.4% of Group A, 21.6% of Group B chose television compared to

7.6% of Group A, and 0% of Group B chose magazine compared to 0.8% of Group A.

Group B stood out from Group A in this question because its participants did not

strongly agree on any media usage trend. This could be because Group B is the middle

group, so participants at the younger end of the spectrum might align more with Group

A’s patterns and participants at the older end of the spectrum might align more with

Group C’s patterns. More participants in Group A relied on social media for their news

source, revealing a generation gap between Group A and Group B in terms of media

usage.

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Figure 9: Group B Media Usage Regularity

As displayed in Figure 9, when asked, “How regularly do you keep up with

news?” 19 respondents, or 51.4% of Group B, answered “all of the time.” The next most

popular answer was “often” with 12 participants, or 32.4% of Group B, followed by

“occasionally” with 4 participants, or 10.8% of Group B, and then “if I happen to see or

hear about something that interests me” with 1 participant, or 2.7% of Group B. No

participants selected the “never” option. While there may not have been as many clear

trends among participants ages 31-60 regarding which specific news sources they use

most often, it is clear that the majority claimed to follow the news regularly. The outlier

who selected “if I happen to see or hear about something that interests me” was a

computer programmer/analyst from Marshfield, Missouri, who had ranked online

newspaper her first source for news.

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When compared with Group B, it is clear Group A had much less devotion to

keeping up with the news, with 21% admitting they only paid attention to news if they

happened to see or hear about something that interested them and only 12.6% saying they

kept up with the news all of the time. Group B, by comparison, was much more

deliberate about taking in the news. Only 10.8% said they only paid attention to news if

they happened to see or hear about something that interested them, and 51.4% answered

“all of the time.” Again, a generation gap appeared to be showing here. It is possible that

some of the Group A participants will find time for the news as they age, but at the time

the survey was taken, there was a distinct gap.

Group B: Perceptions

Figure 10: Group B Perceptions of Trustworthiness

When asked, “On a scale of 1 to 5, when I say ‘the media’ what comes to mind

first?” most participants either selected a 2 for “slightly untrustworthy” or a 4 for

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“somewhat trustworthy.” As shown in Figure 10, 14 respondents, or 37.8% of Group B,

chose “slightly untrustworthy,” and 12 respondents, or 32.4% of Group B, chose

“somewhat trustworthy.” More participants also chose a 1 for “not trustworthy at all”

over a 5 for “completely trustworthy” (7, or 18.9% versus 1, or 2.7%). The one

respondent to choose “completely trustworthy” was a female retired professor who

claimed to keep up with news all of the time and whose number one source for news was

paper newspaper. As a whole, while there were a good amount who chose the “somewhat

trustworthy” option, most of the participants ages 31-60 had a slight negative perception

of the media in regards to trustworthiness. The average score was 2.54, which leans

slightly negative. This is similar to the results for Group A, whose average score was

2.37. Both were slightly more likely not to trust the media, with Group A leaning just a

little more negative.

Figure 11: Group B Perceptions of Sympathy

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As depicted in Figure 11, when asked, “On a scale of 1 to 5, when I say “reporter”

what comes to mind first?” most participants answered with a 4 for “somewhat

sympathetic.” 15 respondents, or 40.5% of Group B, put “somewhat sympathetic.” While

a 2 for “slightly unsympathetic” is not too far behind at 9 respondents, or 24.3% of Group

B, this is a much wider gap than in the previous question. Interestingly, this gap is in the

opposite direction. The 31-60 generation reported a more positive view of a reporter’s

sympathy than of the media’s trustworthiness. The average score here was 3, indicating a

neutral stance; however, this was higher than Group A’s average score of 2.75.

Therefore, Group B tended to perceive reporters as more sympathetic in comparison with

Group A.

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Figure 12: Group B Perceptions of Different Sources

Next, Group B was asked the same series of questions as Group A to delineate

which medium fit each question—for example, which medium is most biased? As shown

in Figure 12, 18 respondents, or 48.6% of Group B, chose television as the most biased

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source. Moreover, 21 respondents, or 56.8% of Group B, indicated that television “seems

to be getting worse all the time.” Thus, most participants ages 31-60 appeared to have a

negative attitude toward television news in particular. Social media was the top answer of

Group B for three categories: “the most entertaining,” “bringing the latest news,” and

“getting better all the time.” 18 respondents, or 48.6% of Group B, selected social media

as “the most entertaining.” Likewise, 15 respondents, or 40.5% of Group B, picked social

media as “bringing the latest news,” and 11 respondents, or 29.7% of Group B, picked

social media as the news source that is “getting better all the time.” Therefore, although

some participants picked social media for being “the most biased” and “getting worse all

the time,” overall most of Group B had perceived social media as a news source that is

“entertaining,” “bringing the latest news,” and “getting better all the time.” As with

Group A, paper newspaper was selected by the most participants as “presenting news

most intelligently” with 14 respondents, or 37.8% of Group B. Online newspaper came in

second with 6 respondents, or 16.2% of Group B. The most popular selection for “least

biased” was the “none” option with 12 respondents, or 32.4% of Group B, indicating that

many participants in Group B felt that all news sources contain some form of bias.

Interestingly, more of Group B chose social media for “the most entertaining”

source than of Group A. While 40.5% of Group B picked social media for “most

entertaining,” 35.3% of Group A picked social media and this was behind television,

which had 38.7% of Group A. Most of both Group A and Group B selected television as

“the most biased” (37% and 48.6% respectively) and “seems to be getting worse all the

time” (30.3% and 56.8% respectively). However, most of Group A (41.2%) chose paper

newspaper as “the least biased,” whereas most of Group B (32.4%) selected “none” as the

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least biased. It is interesting that Group B had more of a negative view of all forms of

media in terms of bias than Group A did. On the other hand, it seems both groups (49.6%

of Group A and 37.8% of Group B) esteemed the paper newspaper for “presenting news

most intelligently.” Both groups (47.1% of Group A and 29.7% of Group B) also agreed

that social media “brings you the latest news.” The percentage of respondents who chose

social media for “seems to be getting better all the time” in each group was comparable

with 26.9% of Group A and 29.7% of Group B; however, social media was the second

most popular answer among Group A and the most popular choice in Group B. 37% of

Group A said online newspaper “seems to be getting better all the time.” This is

interesting since more participants in Group B than in Group A selected online

newspaper for their primary source for news. However, usage trends in Group B were

more inconclusive since so many participants disagreed with one another. Similar to

results in Group A, magazine and radio did not stand out in any category.

Comparing results once again to Stephens’ (1981) study reveals that, in 1981, the

middle-aged generation had similar views to the youngest generation. Television was

again most selected among the middle-aged generation for “most entertaining,” with 82%

of females and 86% of males. However, this result differed from today’s middle-aged

participants’ views on entertaining news. Interestingly, in 2015, 48.6% of Group B

picked social media for “most entertaining.” Thus, there is more of a generation gap

among today’s participants in perceptions of entertainment because social media was not

yet in existence in 1981. Perhaps today’s middle-aged population views social media as

less of a legitimate source for news and more geared purely for entertainment than

today’s younger population who uses social media more frequently as a news source.

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Although Stephens did not ask participants which was “the most biased” or “the least

biased,” when asked “which presents news most intelligently,” her results among middle-

aged respondents’ were fascinating. While 44% of middle-aged females chose

newspapers, 82% of middle-aged males chose magazines. Magazines had zero votes for

“presents news most intelligently” among today’s middle-aged participants. However,

today’s Group B participants’ opinions closely mirrored that of middle-aged females in

1981. 37.8% of Group B chose paper newspaper for “presents news most intelligently,”

and the second most popular option was online newspaper with 16.2% of Group B. When

asked “which brings you the latest news,” 40.5% of today’s middle-aged participants

chose social media, which, again, was not even in existence in 1981. Television was

selected most often in 1981, with 53% of middle-aged females and 45% of middle-aged

males. When asked “which seems to be getting better all the time” in 1981, middle-aged

participants did not overwhelmingly agree on any answer. While participants rarely

selected newspapers for this question, 25% of middle-aged females and 35% of middle-

aged males selected television, 33% of middle-aged females and 25% of middle-aged

males selected radio, and 34% of middle-aged females and 30% of middle-aged males

selected magazines. No one chose magazines or television in 2015, and few selected

radio or paper newspapers. Instead, most of today’s middle-aged participants picked

social media (29.7% of Group B), online newspapers (21.6% of Group B), or “none”

(18.9% of Group B) for “getting better all the time.” Interestingly, participants both

young and middle-aged in 1981 and in 2015 agreed that television was “getting worse all

the time.” 63% of middle-aged females and 59% of middle-aged males chose television

in 1981, and 56.8% of Group B chose television in 2015.

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Figure 13: Group B Perceptions of the Media Today by Description

Figure 13 shows a visual representation of which descriptive terms Group B

participants most used when asked to describe the media today. The top answer was

“fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories” with 27 respondents, or 73% of

Group B. This was the second most popular answer among the younger participants, with

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58.8% of Group A. Among the middle-aged participants, following closely behind

“fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories” was “easily accessed” with 25

respondents, or 67.6% of Group B. This was the most popular answer for younger

participants, with 74.8% of Group A. Most of both groups clearly perceived the media to

be easy to access yet sensationalist. 14 respondents, or 37.8% of Group B, checked the

term “informative.” However, overall, as with Group A, more of the negative

descriptions had a higher response rate than the positive terms. 13 respondents, or 35.1%

of Group B, checked “in your face;” 8 respondents, or 21.6% of Group B, checked “tiring

to keep up with;” 11 respondents, or 29.7% of Group B, checked “unfair;” 10

respondents, or 27% of Group B, checked “insensitive;” and 12 respondents, or 32.4% of

Group B, checked “annoying.” Just 5 respondents, or 13.5% of Group B, selected

“helpful” to describe the media; 4 respondents, or 10.8% of Group B, selected

“reputable;” 3 respondents, or 8.1% of Group B, selected “fair;” and only 2 respondents,

or 5.4% of Group B, checked “personable.” Therefore, results were similar to those of

Group A.

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Figure 14: Group B Perceptions of the Media When They Were About Age 20

Group B was asked a question that Group A was not asked—“what was the media

like when you were about age 20?” The question asked them to look back at least 10

years and for some around 40 years to make a comparison. The goal of the question was

to see if the middle group perceived of changes in the media over time, and if so, in what

direction.

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Fascinatingly, Group B’s apparent opinion of the media today was dramatically

reversed when they were given the same terms but asked to describe what the media was

like when they would have been considered the young generation. As depicted in Figure

14, 31 respondents, or 83.8% of Group B described the media of the past as

“informative.” Although “informative” still had a fairly high turnout in the previous

question, 83.8% is a large jump from 37.8% as given for modern media—over double the

response rate. Additionally, now 22 respondents, or 59.5% of Group B, checked

“reputable.” The jump from 4 respondents to 22 is a 450% change increase. This shows

that, in Group B’s minds, the media were once reputable but have now fallen. The

negative description results also overturned in this question. The previous top answer

“fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories” dropped from 27 respondents down to

12, or from 73% of Group B down to 32.4%, indicating that Group B felt it has seen

media grow more and more sensationalistic over time. That response may help explain

why the response rate for the media as informative slid down so drastically. Another

large drop occurred with the “in your face” option. Originally 13 respondents, or 35.1%

of Group B, checked it, but in this question only 1 respondent, or 2.7% of Group B, did.

This is a 92.3% change decrease.

Clearly, overall, the 31- to 60-year-old group felt that news media had changed

over time—and had changed for the worse. Certainly some of the response could be

nostalgic—but in general the results seem to show that people in or approaching middle

age feel that the media is growing worse over time. Both this group and the younger age

group seemed to condemn modern media as sensationalistic, “in your face,” and

“annoying.”

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Figure 15: Group B Primary Source for News When They Were About Age 20

The next question asked “what was your primary source for news when you were

about age 20” and was linked to the previous question to determine how their media

usage had shifted over time along with their perceptions. Again, this meant participants in

this group had to look back at least 10 years and some back 40 years. For some in this

group, it was possible that they had used online media when they were 20, while for

others, online media had not been invented yet. The results about online media for this

group need to be interpreted with that in mind.

The graph in Figure 15 shows what Group B selected as their primary source for

news back when they were about 20 years old. As participants indicated, there were only

a few news source options when they were 20. 16 participants, or 43.2% of Group B, said

television was their primary source. 13 participants, or 35.1% of Group B, selected paper

newspapers as their primary source. Only 3 participants, or 8.1% of Group B, chose

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radio, and 2 participants, or 5.4% of Group B, put “I didn’t keep up with news.” While

many of these same respondents disagreed on their current media usage tendencies, there

was a clear trend when looking back at what media they used in the past. Television was

the most common primary source, and no one used online media as a primary source.

Group C: Demographics and Media Usage

Group C consisted of 7 males (25%) and 21 females (75%) ages 61 and over. 13

respondents, or 46.4% of Group C, were reached via the online survey, whereas 15

respondents, or 53.6% of Group C, were reached in person at an assisted living facility

located in Birmingham, AL. 100% of the respondents surveyed in person were retired,

while only 1 respondent, or 3.6% of those surveyed online, was retired. The rest of the

respondents surveyed online had occupations ranging from artists to educators. Of those

surveyed online, 5 respondents, or 17.9% of Group C, listed Florida as their location of

residency. 3 respondents, or 10.7% of Group C, were from North Carolina, and the rest

listed California, South Dakota, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. There were

no respondents outside of the United States in Group C.

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Figure 16: Group C Surveyed Online Media Usage Ranking

Figure 17: Group C Surveyed In Person Media Usage

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For the first media usage question, participants surveyed in person used check

marks instead of rank-order numbers, so only answers recorded online were included in

the results shown in Figure 16. 6 respondents, or 46.2% of those surveyed online, ranked

television as their first source for news. Radio came next, being ranked first by 3

respondents, or 23.1% of those surveyed online. Paper newspaper was rarely ranked first,

but 5 participants, or 38.5% of those surveyed online, ranked it second. Interestingly, not

a single participant ranked social media as his or her top news source. However, a few

did rank social media a 2, 3, or 4, meaning they used social media fairly frequently as a

news source. Also, while only 1 respondent ranked paper newspaper his first source, 5

respondents, or 38.5% of those surveyed online, ranked it second. No one ranked the “I

don’t keep up with news” option. As to the participants in assisted living, they were

asked to check which media they used without rank-ordering. Since respondents in the

assisted living used check marks without an attempt to rank-order the question “what is

your source for news,” their results are displayed as percentages in Figure 17. It is

important to note that several of them checked more than one source. Therefore, it is not

a measure of primary source, but of which sources are used and which are not. As shown

in Figure 17, the most popular source for news among Group C respondents surveyed in

person was television, with 36%. 25% said they used paper newspapers, 20% said they

used magazines, 11% said they used radio, and 8% said they used online newspapers. No

one in the assisted living facility checked the “social media,” “I don’t keep up with

news,” or “other” options.

Among the elderly participants surveyed online, there is some social media use

for news, which shows that some older people are computer savvy enough to keep on top

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of the latest trends. However, the majority listed television and radio as their top sources

for news. Television was also the most popular for the most elderly group in assisted

living, which would be the easiest of the traditional media for some whose vision is

declining. However, almost as many read a paper newspaper or an online newspaper.

Although online newspapers are the newest format for newspapers, the gist of the

responses was that many older people still often delve into a newspaper. Additionally,

many Group C participants who were surveyed in person also checked that they used

magazines and radio. Those traditional media show a higher usage percentagewise as

compared to Group A and Group B. Clearly older people use media they grew up with

and are comfortable with. This older generation, both those surveyed online and in

person, relies on television as a primary source for modern news much more than the

younger groups and evidently does not rely as much on social media.

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Figure 18: Group C Media Usage Regularity

Every question remaining includes results from all of Group C collectively. As

depicted in Figure 18, when asked, “How regularly do you keep up with news?” 19

respondents, or 67.9% of Group C, claimed “all of time.” 8 respondents, or 28.6% of

Group C, said “often.” No participants from Group C selected “never” or “if I happen to

see or hear about something that interests me,” and only 1 selected “occasionally.” Group

C considered itself to be a very regular news audience.

This finding stood in stark contrast to the young Group A, where only 12.6% of

respondents claimed to keep up with the news “all of the time,” and in noticeable contrast

to the middle-aged Group B, where 51.4% of respondents said “all of the time.” The

oldest people in the survey kept up with the news most often and outshine young people

in news consumption. There could be a free-time relationship: as participants aged in the

study, they followed the news more constantly, and this could be because time pressures

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were subtracted from their lives as they left classes for careers and then left careers for

retirement.

Group C: Perceptions

Figure 19: Group C Perceptions of Trustworthiness

Next, Group C was asked about their perceptions of the media today. They were

asked to mark whether news was trustworthy. As shown in Figure 19, the majority of

participants (18 respondents, or 64.3% of Group C) ranked the media a 4, or “somewhat

trustworthy.” No other option came close, suggesting that, as a whole, the older

generation gave a fairly positive response regarding the trustworthiness of the media. 4

participants, or 14.3% of Group C, ranked the media a 2 for “slightly untrustworthy.” 2

participants, or 7.1% of Group C, ranked the media a 3 for “no opinion.” Both a 1 and a 5

ranking for “not trustworthy at all” and “completely trustworthy” were only chosen by 1

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person each, or 3.6% of Group C. The average score was a 3.29, and it is the first time the

average was above a neutral 3. Group A’s average was 2.37, and Group B’s average was

2.54.

Overall, the oldest group found the media to be most trustworthy. It is interesting

that a lifetime of media consumption has not made the oldest group lose trust in the

media. The media is simply an institution that older people consider trustworthy to bring

them the news that they constantly consume.

Figure 20: Group C Perceptions of Sympathy

Next, Group C was asked whether they saw reporters as sympathetic or

unsympathetic. Again, the oldest participants in the survey saw reporters as better than

the younger groups saw them. As depicted in Figure 20, when asked about reporters, the

most popular answer was a 4, indicating reporters were somewhat sympathetic. 12

respondents, or 42.9% of Group C, put a 4 for this question. However, a good number, 8,

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or 28.6% had no opinion, and 5, or a relatively strong 17.9% felt reporters were slightly

unsympathetic. The average score was 2.93. This is higher than Group A’s average score

of 2.75 but lower than Group B’s average score of 3.

All three of these averages were very close to neutral, indicating that most

participants of all ages did not feel strongly one way or the other regarding reporters’

sympathy.

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Figure 21: Group C Perceptions of Different Sources

As shown in Figure 21, an overwhelming majority (19 respondents, or 67.9%) of

the respondents selected television for “the most entertaining.” Television was also the

top answer for “the most biased” (14 respondents, or 50%), “brings you the latest news”

(13 respondents, or 46.4%), “seems to be getting better all the time” (10 respondents, or

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35.7%), and “seems to be getting worse all the time” (11 respondents, or 39.3%). No

other form of media came close to the results of television in those questions.

Interestingly, television was selected most for both getting better and worse because there

was a major difference in those who were surveyed in person versus those who were

surveyed online. 9 of the in-person participants claimed television was getting better,

while only 1 of the online participants made that same claim. On the other hand, only 2 of

the in-person respondents listed television as getting worse all the time, while 9 of the

online respondents did. Thus, those in assisted living clearly displayed a more positive

perception of television news than those who were reached online and most likely do not

reside in assisted living. Likely this was connected to the ease of using television as a

news source for older people who may have vision trouble and thus depend on television.

The most popular answer for the remaining two questions was paper newspaper. When

asked which is “the least biased,” 8 respondents, or 28.6% of Group C, selected paper

newspaper. When asked which “presents news most intelligently,” 10 respondents, or

35.7% of Group C, selected paper newspaper. Interestingly, following just behind was

again television at 9 participants, or 32.1% of Group C. Social media was rarely selected

in any of the questions. The only two questions where more than 2 people selected it was

for “the most biased” (5 respondents, or 17.9%) and “getting worse all the time” (3

respondents, or 10.7%). This is not surprising, however, since this group rarely uses

social media. Interestingly, although this group uses radio and magazines more than the

other groups, neither of those sources was selected more than 4 times (14.2%) for any of

these questions. Most often only 1 (3.6%) or 2 (7.1%) participants selected radio or

magazines. Online newspapers stood out as the second most popular answer in one

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category: which “seems to be getting better all the time.” 6 participants, or 21.4% of

Group C, selected online newspapers.

Television was a much more popular choice as a whole for Group C than for the

other generations. There was not a single category where it was not either the first or

second most popular choice. In Group B, television was only the most popular choice for

“the most biased” (48.6%) and “seems to be getting worse all the time” (56.8%). In

Group A, television was the most popular choice for “the most biased” (37%), “seems to

be getting worse all the time” (30.3%), and also for “the most entertaining” (38.7%). This

reveals a generation gap. More participants in the elderly generation use television and

thus have stronger opinions about it for more categories than do participants in the other

generations. Conversely, it is clear that younger generations use social media more and

therefore have stronger opinions about that source than do participants in the older

generation. While social media was rarely selected by Group C for any question, Group B

selected it as “the most entertaining” (48.6%), “brings you the latest news” (40.5%), and

“seems to be getting worse all the time” (29.7%). Most of Group A put social media for

“brings you the latest news” (47.1%). Interestingly, all three age groups agreed that the

paper newspaper is “the least biased” and “presents news most intelligently.” It was

either the first or second most popular answer in every generation, and only the second

most popular answer once, with more of Group B selecting “none” for “the least biased.”

28.6% of Group C, 18.9% of Group B, and 41.2% of Group A selected paper newspaper

for “the least biased,” and 35.7% of Group C, 37.8% of Group B, and 49.6% of Group A

selected paper newspaper for “presents news most intelligently.” However, only Group A

deemed online newspaper the top source in a category. 37% of Group A chose online

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newspaper for “seems to be getting better all the time,” whereas it was only selected by

16.2% of Group B and 21.4% of Group C. But, in all groups, radio and magazine were

rarely selected. Although some of Group C still uses them, these forms of media are

clearly losing their influence.

In comparison with Stephens’ (1981) study, results were similar. 82% of elderly

females and 90% of elderly males chose television for “the most entertaining” in 1981.

This was also the most popular answer in 2015, with 67.9% of Group C. Television was

also the most popular answer in 1981 for “brings you the latest news,” with 62% of

elderly females and 100% of elderly males, and in 2015 with 46.4% of Group C. Again,

Stephens’ (1981) study did not inquire which was “the most biased” or “the least biased,”

but when asked which “presents news most intelligently,” 1981 participants’ opinions

were split. 61% of elderly females and 27% of elderly males selected television, 25% of

elderly females and 27% of elderly males selected newspapers 7% of elderly females and

46% of elderly males selected magazine, and few selected radio. Most of today’s elderly

participants selected paper newspaper (35.7%) or television (32.1%), and few selected

radio or magazine, showing a difference between respondents in 1981 and respondents

today. Television was the most popular answer among today’s elderly respondents for

both “getting better all the time” (35.7%) and “getting worse all the time” (39.3%), but

was only the most popular answer for “getting better all the time” in 1981, with 48% of

elderly females and 64% of elderly males. This could be because the 1981 study did not

survey people online as well as in person. The most popular answer for “getting worse all

the time” in 1981 was split between television (39% of elderly females and 30% of

elderly males) and newspaper (39% of elderly females and 40% of elderly males). Paper

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newspaper was the second most popular option among today’s elderly participants for

“getting worse all the time,” with 14.3% of Group C. Although there were some

similarities between elderly participants’ opinions in 1981 and 2015, a key difference is

that magazines no longer have an influence on that generation.

Figure 22: Group C Perceptions of the Media Today by Description

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Figure 22 depicts Group C’s current perceptions of the media in descriptive terms.

The most popular term checked was “informative,” with 17 respondents, or 60.7% of

Group C. Many respondents also indicated that they felt the media to be “easily

accessed” (13 respondents, or 46.4%) and “fascinated with shocking or sensationalist

stories” (12 respondents, or 42.9%) yet also “easily accessed” (13 respondents, or 46.4%)

and “helpful” (12 respondents, or 42.9%). The other descriptive terms had results within

range of each other (“in your face” with 5 respondents, or 17.9%; “tiring to keep up with”

with 6 respondents, or 21.4%; “unfair” with 6 respondents, or 21.4%; “insensitive” with 6

respondents, or 21.4%; “annoying” with 8 respondents, or 28.6%; “fair” with 6

respondents, or 21.4%; “personable” with 5 respondents, or 17.9%; “reputable” with 6

respondents, or 21.4%).

Compared with the other groups, Group C had a fairly more positive perception of

today’s media. 60.7% of Group C checked “informative,” while just 37.8% of Group B

and 47.9% of Group A put “informative.” Moreover, positive descriptive terms that were

rarely used by Group A and Group B, such as “fair” (8.4% of Group A and 8.1% of

Group B) and “personable” (9.2% of Group A and 5.4% of Group B), were selected by a

higher percentage of Group C (21.4% checked “fair” and 17.9% checked “personable”).

Additionally, the percentage of negative descriptions decreased with age. For example,

46.2% of Group A, 35.1% of Group B, and 17.9% of Group C selected “in your face” to

describe the media. Therefore, as participants age, they appear to have an increasingly

more positive perception of the media.

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Figure 23: Group C Perceptions of the Media When They Were About Age 45

Figure 23 is a visual for another age-specific question, this time asking Group C

to think back to when they were about the age of 45 to describe the media again. This

would have been right around the time when Group B was on average about the age of

20, which is what their age-specific question asked. Interestingly, the graph looks very

similar to the one depicting Group C’s descriptions of today’s media. “Informative” was

still the most popular answer with 14 respondents, or 50% of Group C. The other

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amounts also remained relatively the same except for two major changes that occurred

for the “fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories” and “fair” options. “Fascinated

with shocking or sensationalist stories” went down from 12 respondents, or 42.9% of

Group C, to 7 respondents, or 25% of Group C. Conversely, “fair” doubled from 6

respondents, or 21.4% of Group C, to 12 respondents, or 42.9% of Group C. Thus, Group

C had a slightly more positive opinion when looking back at media when they were about

the age of 45. However, this change was not as extreme as when Group B looked back to

the same time period. Group B had a much more dramatic shift in opinion, with over

double the response-rate for “informative,” a 450% increase in the number that selected

“reputable,” and a 92.3% drop in the number that chose “in your face.”

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Figure 24: Group C Perceptions of the Media When They Were About Age 20

Group C also had one more set of age-specific questions, and the first one asked

them to describe what the media was like when they were about 20 years old, just as

Group B did. However, the respondents surveyed in person stated that they had difficulty

remembering that far back, and some of them did not answer the question consequently.

Figure 24 shows the results. While this question asked the elderly respondents to look

even further back in time, responses maintained the same general trend as resulted from

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the previous question asking Group C to look back in time. The participants were asked

to describe the media of 40 or more years prior with the same list of positive and negative

descriptions to choose from. For those who could remember that far back, the results

showed that most deemed the media “informative” with 12, or 42.9% of Group C. While

the results were lower in this question than the previous, this is likely because fewer

respondents answered this question. Thus, comparing percentage changes would not

result in an accurate analysis of perception changes. Instead, it is clear that the most

popular answers when Group C looked back to when they were about age 45 continued to

maintain their positions as the most popular answers when Group C looked back to when

they were about age 20. The positive descriptions (“informative,” “helpful,” and “fair”)

maintained the top positions, and the negative descriptions (“in your face,” “unfair,” and

“insensitive”) continued to be the least popular options.

All in all, the most elderly people in the survey remembered the media of their

youth as positive. This stands in stark contrast to today’s youth. Group A’s responses

were much more negative than what Group C’s memory of the media was when they

were that same age. Among today’s young generation, every negative description was

checked by 39.5% or more of Group A (“in your face” with 46.2%, “tiring to keep up

with” with 50.4%, “unfair” with 42%, “insensitive” with 39.5%, “fascinated with

shocking or sensationalist stories” with 58.8%, and “annoying” with 43.7%). When

Group C was asked to describe what the media was like when they were about that same

age, the negative descriptions had much smaller percentages (“in your face” had 3.5%,

“tiring to keep up with” had 14.2%, “unfair” had 3.5%, “insensitive” had 3.5%,

“fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories” had 21.4%, and “annoying” had

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7.1%). It is possible that Group A’s results would also become more positive as time

passed if they were asked to look back. It is also possible that today’s media has a more

negative perception among the public than it has ever had, since results from every age

group surveyed revealed negative attitudes regarding the current media.

Figure 25: Group C Primary Source for News When They Were About Age 20 and 45

Finally, in conjunction with the previous two questions, Group C was asked to

think back to ages 20 and 45 to recall what their primary sources of news were. For some

of the participants, television had not been invented yet, and there were no online sources

of news yet. The results reflect that. Figure 25 shows again, how the primary sources for

news shifted across time. While Group C now relies mostly on television for their news (,

in the past they depended more heavily on paper newspapers for their news.

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Conclusion

The results of this study exposed both similarities and differences among the three

generations compared in terms of media usage as well as perceptions of the media.

Regarding media usage, in comparison with Groups B and C, Group A clearly relied

more on social media as a source of news. In fact, the younger the participant, the more

likely he or she was to be engaged with social media: participants in Group C rarely

checked social media when given the option, and Group B did sometimes, but not as

much as Group A. In terms of regularity, participants in Group A claimed to follow the

news the least often, and participants in Group C said they followed the news the most

often, with Group B falling in between. However, in all groups no one claimed to “never”

keep up with news.

Results from the study regarding perceptions of both media and reporters revealed

that Groups A and B had a more negative view of news than Group C, and therefore were

more likely to be hesitant to trust the media. While the results for Group A did not

indicate strongly one way or the other in the question about perceptions of whether

reporters were sympathetic, Groups B and C appeared to be slightly more likely to

consider reporters somewhat sympathetic. In all three groups, the paper newspaper was

most often selected for the source that “presents news most intelligently.” It is interesting

that it was selected above online newspapers among the younger generations since they

reported to rely more on online newspapers as a source than their paper counterparts.

Also, no group relied heavily on paper newspapers today, although older people tended to

use them the most, and Group B somewhat. Thus, although online newspapers are used

more often, their paper counterparts are perceived to be more credible. Even though

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paper newspapers have slipped in usage, they still hold the esteem of all generations as

the most intelligent news source. It seems, however, that they are not as convenient or as

quick with the news as other sources, according to the survey data.

When asked to describe the media by checking phrases from a list, Group A had

the strongest turnout of negative responses, decrying the news media with terms such as

“fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories,” “tiring to keep up with,” “in your

face,” and “annoying.” Moreover, while Group B also leaned more negative in its view of

today’s media, its results reversed when asked to describe the media as it was when they

were younger. Group B seemed to recall that the media of their youth was more

“informative” and “reputable” and less “in your face” than the media today. Although not

in as extreme a shift, Group C also described the media of their youth as more “fair” than

today’s media.

Thus, although the generation gap between Group A and B did not appear to be

large in terms of opinions of the media today, it was clear that there is a gap between how

people perceive the media in the present age compared with how it was perceived in the

past. There was also a generation gap in media usage. Group A relied on social media the

most and Group C hardly relied on social media at all, with Group B falling in between.

Today, the majority in all generational groups in the study admitted that although

media is easily accessible and entertaining, the media today are perceived as being

overwhelming and annoying, caring more about the entertainment value than being

reputable more so than in the past. Both Group B and Group C described the media in the

past more positively than the media in the present day in terms of being less

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overwhelming, less annoying, less entertainment-driven, and more reputable than in the

present day.

In the end, it would appear that the rise in social media and online media has

altered the way people of all generations perceive the media in general. As Stephens’

(1981) study suggested, physical newspapers have lost their influence in terms of usage,

as few in Group A use them, with oldest users turning to them most frequently. However,

online newspapers are often used as a source for news in Groups A and B. Moreover,

although paper newspapers are used less often today, there was no generation gap in how

they are perceived. Paper newspapers have maintained a positive reputation among all

age groups. Additionally, Stephens attributed an enthusiasm for magazines in 1981 to a

trend toward more specialized material; however, in 2015 magazines were rarely selected

as options for any question. It is possible that this is because magazines have not been

able to keep up with the need for immediacy in 2015.

It is clear that the generation gap noticed in Stephens’ (1981) study still exists

between Group A and Group C in the Internet age. As in Stephens’ day, it is clear that

media as a whole today suffers from an increasingly negative perception in younger

generations. The survey showed that older people had some respect for the media today;

however, as the survey looked at younger and younger groups, the media had less

respect. Emergence of the Internet is possibly a cause. Groups B and C had a more

positive view of the media when they were younger, before social media existed. The

Internet has the advantage of immediacy, but that immediacy may play into findings of

the media as sensationalistic, annoying, and unfair. The passing along of news on social

media by amateurs may have a role in the sense that the media is biased. Since social

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media and television seem to be top as primary sources for news and both are seen as

entertaining, news may now be connected to entertainment, which could draw interest but

could also be hazardous.

So overall, is there a generation gap regarding the news? Certainly there is.

Younger people rely on the entertaining social media but do not pursue it as often as

older generations. The very oldest people work hard at pursuing the news but not from

social media. The oldest trusted the news the most, and the youngest trusted it the least.

The middle group and eldest group thought of the media as having somewhat gotten

worse over time, indicating a perception gap as well.

The most interesting question cannot be answered by this study. That question is

what the answers might be in 40 years, when the current Group A reaches Group C age.

How will they be consuming news in 40 years? Forty years ago, the general public did

not own computers and of course had never even conceived of an Internet or social

media. Will social media news be a dinosaur in 40 years?

This study cannot answer those questions, but it can say that a generation gap

definitely exists, as Stephens showed in 1981. Clearly, a generation gap persists in news

usage and perception. That gap probably will continue.

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Works Cited

Bergström, A., & Wadbring, I. (2012). Strong support for news media: Attitudes

towards news on old and new platforms. Media International Australia, (144),

118-126.

Bullas, J. (2015, April 7). 33 Social Media Facts and Statistics You Should Know in

2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2015/04/08/33-social-media-facts-and-statistics-you-

should-know-in-2015/

Duggan, M., Ellison, N., Lampe, C., Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2014, September 24).

How social media is reshaping news. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/24/how-social-media-is-

reshaping-news/

Ewing, M. (2013). The good news about television: Attitudes aren't getting worse.

Tracking public attitudes toward TV advertising. Journal of Advertising

Research, 53, 83-89. doi:10.2501

Gronke, P., & Cook, T. (2007). Disdaining the media: The American public's changing

attitudes toward the news. Political Communication, 24, 259-281.

Silverman, C. (2012). The best (and worst) media errors and corrections of 2012.

Retrieved September 21, 2015, from

http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/197279/the-best-and-worst-media-

errors-and-corrections-of-2012/

Stephens, N. (1981). Media use and media attitude changes with age and with time.

Journal of Advertising, 10(1), 38-47.

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Stroud, N., & Lee, J. (2013). Perceptions of cable news credibility. Mass

Communication and Society, 16, 67-88

Xie, W., & Zhao, Y. (2014). Is seeing believing? Comparing media credibility of

traditional and online media in China. China Media Research, 10(3), 64-73.

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Recruitment Script:

Hello, My name is Kathleen Sharp, and I am a senior journalism and mass communication student at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. I designed the following survey for my senior thesis research. I would greatly appreciate if you would take a few minutes to answer the questions in your honest opinion. The survey should only take about 10 minutes. You must be age 19 or older to participate. If you are under the age of 19 please do not complete this survey. Some questions are age-specific, and you should answer for every category you fit. This means you may need to answer more than one age-specific question. Participation is completely voluntary, and your answers are anonymous. If you have taken this survey already, thank you! But please don’t take it again. If you have any questions, you may contact me at ksharp@samford.edu. Thank you so much, Kathleen

Survey Questions

1. What is your age? __19-30 __31-60 __61+ 2. What is your gender? __Male __Female 3. What is your occupation? _____________________________ 4. What city or town do you live in (also give state if in US, nation if outside US)? _________________________________ 5. What is your source for news? Please rank each source you use, with a 1 meaning the source most used. ____Paper Newspaper ____Radio ____Television ____Magazine ____Online Newspaper ____Social Media ____I don’t keep up with news ____Other: _______________

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6. How regularly do you keep up with news? ____Never ____If I happen to see or hear about something that interests me ____Occasionally ____Often ____All the time 7. On a scale of 1 to 5, when I say “the media” what comes to mind first? Not trustworthy at all | Slightly untrustworthy | No opinion | Somewhat trustworthy | 1 2 3 4 Completely trustworthy 5 8. On a scale of 1 to 5, when I say “reporter” what comes to mind first? Someone who is: Not sympathetic at all | Slightly unsympathetic | No opinion | Somewhat sympathetic | 1 2 3 4 Completely sympathetic 5 9. For each question below, please indicate the one you feel best answers the question.

Which one: Paper Newspaper

Radio TV Magazine Online Newspaper

Social Media

Other None

Is the most entertaining?

Is the most biased?

Is the least biased?

Presents news most

intelligently?

Brings you the latest news?

Seems to be getting better all the time?

Seems to be getting worse all the time?

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10. FOR ALL RESPONDENTS OF ANY AGE: Describe the media today by checking all that apply: __in your face __tiring to keep up with __fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories __fair __unfair __informative __easily accessed __personable __annoying __helpful __insensitive __reputable 11. FOR RESPONDENTS AGE 31 AND OVER: Describe the media when you were about age 20 by checking all that apply: __in your face __tiring to keep up with __fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories __fair __unfair __informative __easily accessed __personable __annoying __helpful __insensitive __reputable What was your primary source for news when you were about age 20? ____Paper Newspaper ____Radio ____Television ___Magazine ____Online Newspaper ____Social Media ____I didn’t keep up with news ____Other: _______________ 12. FOR RESPONDENTS AGE 61 AND OVER: Describe the media when you were about age 45 by checking all that apply: __in your face __tiring to keep up with __fascinated with shocking or sensationalist stories __fair __unfair __informative __easily accessed __personable __annoying __helpful __insensitive __reputable What was your primary source for news when you were about age 45? ____Paper Newspaper ____Radio ____Television ___Magazine ____Online Newspaper ____Social Media ____I didn’t keep up with news ____Other: _______________