PDI still most read newspaper, says poll
Inquirer News Service
FOR THE fourth straight year since the survey went nationwide, the Philippine Daily Inquirer was the most read broadsheet in the country, according to the poll conducted by Nielsen Media Research.
The latest survey was conducted in the third quarter of 2004, covering 2,000 respondents aged 10 years and older from all socioeconomic classes in 31 cities in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Jay Bautista, Nielsen Media director, said the Inquirer was the choice of 55 percent of the respondents, who said they had read a broadsheet the day before. The Manila Bulletin came in second with 47 percent and the Philippine Star third with 27 percent.
The total exceeded 100 percent because some respondents read two or more broadsheets.
Of the 2,000 respondents, 25.2 percent read newspapers (either broadsheet or tabloid, or both) in 2004, down from 29.6 percent the previous year. Broadsheet readership dropped to 8.8 percent from 13.5 percent.
Bautista noted that broadsheets were generally read by members of the upper and middle classes. They accounted for 55 percent of the broadsheets' reader base.
Tabloids were more popular among the lower income classes. They represented more than 70 percent of the tabloids' reader base. Regional newspapers had the same reader profile as the tabloids.
Upper and middle classes
The Inquirer is popular among the upper and middle classes (the AB and C economic classes). They represent 56.2 percent of the newspaper's reader base, according to Nielsen Media.
More males (54.2 percent) read the Inquirer than females (45.8 percent). By age group, those between 20 and 39 years old accounted for 46.3 percent of the Inquirer's readers. Readers who were 50 and up accounted for 30.1 percent.
The most read sections of the Inquirer after the front page and local and foreign news included Sports, Editorial/Columns, Lifestyle and Business.
Reading habit
On the average, newspaper readers spent about 25 minutes going over their favorite broadsheet or tabloid. But Inquirer readers spent 32.2 minutes reading the broadsheet in 2004, up from 25.2 minutes the previous year.
Among the days of the week, Sunday had the highest broadsheet readership, according to the study. Other days of the week were consistent in terms of the number of readers. This demonstrated loyalty among readers.
In the survey, called the Media Index study, Nielsen Media Research used multi-stage random sampling.
Metro Manila had 1,000 respondents and the other urban centers also 1,000 respondents. Half of the respondents were female.
For Metro Manila, Nielsen allocated 200 respondents for each socioeconomic class (AB, C1, C2, D and E). For the rest of the urban centers, Class AB was allocated 100 respondents; C1, also 100; C2, 200; D, 400, and E, 200.
The Inquirer has been topping nationwide polls since 1993, like that conducted by Asia Research Organization, prior to the Nielsen surveys.
Youth readership program
To encourage newspaper reading among the youth, the Inquirer has launched various programs.
Its Youth Readership Program consists of fun and interactive events.
The Inquirer Seminar Series promotes youth empowerment and social awareness among college students and young professionals by bringing them together with experts from various fields.
The series allows the youth to discuss current concerns with leaders, opinion-makers, trendsetters and visionaries.
Debates
The Inquirer Intercollegiate Debating Championship (IIDC) is the country's largest and most prominent debate tournament. Using the Asian Parliamentary format, the IIDC seeks to involve the youth in challenges that confront them.
Aside from regular debate matchups between competing schools, an Issue Forum, which features a prominent Inquirer columnist and economic guru, discusses the country's economic situation.
2bU!
Then there's the Inquirer-2bU! Interschool Debating Championship, a competition for high school students using the British Parliamentary format. It encourages the youth to analyze what they read and what they know through their debating skills.
In addition, the newspaper has come up with educational tours in which young participants hold a dialogue with editors and business leaders. Participants also get to visit the newspaper's facilities, including its printing press.
