Newspaper readership strong despite jobless rise

SOARING unemployment and population decline have been blamed for a slight drop in newspaper readership over the past year.

The latest Joint National Readership Survey (JNRS) figures, for the period July 2009 to June 2010, released yesterday, showed most daily newspapers experienced a drop in readership. During that period unemployment rose by 6.2% to 444,000.

Additionally, the proportion of adults not working (ie schoolgoers over the age of 15, college students, the retired and the unemployed) is estimated to be 47% compared with 40% at the end of 2008.

However, despite the decline, Irish readership levels remain very strong, with the JNRS showing that more than three million people, or 86% of the adult population, are regular newspaper readers. The Irish Examiner has 204,000 daily readers, of whom 74% read no other daily newspaper. This highly valued sole readership percentage is the highest enjoyed by any daily newspaper.

National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) spokesman Frank Cullen said: “The slight fall in overall newspaper readership can be attributed, in the main part, to a reduction in people at work.

“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,” he said.

“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” said Mr Cullen.

“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,” he said.

During the period under review, The Irish Examiner and the Irish Times readerships declined by 6,000 and 5,000 respectively, while the Daily Mail lost 2,000 and the Irish Independent gained 5,000. Of the red-top tabloids, the Daily Star lost 52,000 readers, The Irish Sun lost 26,000 and the Daily Mirror held its readership level with the previous year.

The editor of the Irish Examiner, Tim Vaughan, said that despite the negative impact of the recession on the industry the newspaper remained totally committed to quality, relevant and campaigning journalism, for which it has won much praise and several awards in recent years.

“While readership might be under pressure nationally and internationally, the past few months have yet again shown the importance of real journalism, be it revealing wrongdoing and corruption in high places, to shining a spotlight on the scandalous treatment of our most vulnerable people by Government,” he said.