Newspaper Readership in Nigeria12
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Transcript of Newspaper Readership in Nigeria12
NEWSPAPER READERSHIP IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF IKEJA POPULACE
INTRODUCTION
Communication is vital. The term ‘communication’ is derived from the Latin word
communis which means ‘to share’, that is, sharing of ideas, concepts, feelings and
emotions. The science of communication is almost as old as man himself. Without
communication, it is impossible to exist. It is the key to making informed decisions.
Communication is as pervasive and ubiquitous as the very air we breathe. Its
pervasiveness may be gauged from the fact that we are always communicating in some
form at any given moment of our life. Whether we are walking, talking, eating or even
sleeping, a communicative message is being formulated and conveyed. Hence, any study
carried out to determine or suggest ways in which the communication process and its
channels may even be made better and more relevant is definitely worth the effort and
time.
This study has therefore been designed to look into an area of communication – mass
communication. Simply put, mass communication is that aspect of communication that is
targeted at a mass audience. That is, it is not interpersonal communication. It is not group
communication. However, it may form the content of communication in these other
aspects of communication. Mass communication is directed at a large and heterogeneous
audience. According to Baran (2004), mass communication is the process of creating
shared meaning between the mass media and their audiences. This states then that
whenever a semantic equilibrium is reached between the mass media and their audiences,
then, mass communication has taken place.
However, we cannot talk about mass communication without talking about its media –
the mass media. The mass media are the channels through which mass communication is
conveyed. They act like conveyor belts. Mass information or communication is
disseminated through a mass medium to a mass audience. It is the agency through which
mass communication is conveyed. As long as there is mass communication, there will be
mass media. Therefore, an inquiry into the nature of mass communication is effectively
an inquiry into the nature of its medium. There are many means or media of mass
communication, which include Television, Radio, Newspaper, and so on. All are
important. However, this study is looking particularly at the newspaper.
There are two broad categories of the mass media: Print, and Electronic media. The
newspaper belongs to the print media, and is unarguably the most important and popular
medium in that category. This is because newspapers are veritable and resilient. In other
words, they have a long life span, and information got from them can be read and reread.
Another important advantage is that newspapers provide more news depth than do other
media. Many people therefore rely on the newspaper to gain access to necessary and
relevant information. The newspaper is an important source of vital information, giving
facts about contemporary issues. The role played by newspapers in the overall
development of a society cannot be neglected. Duyile (1979), speaking of the Print media
in general and newspapers in particular, notes that the Print media ‘guard the people’s
interest, protect their freedom, and correct social ills in the society.’
There are different categories of newspapers, including dailies, weeklies, and monthlies.
These are so named by virtue of their frequency of publication. Classifications according
to scope would include national, regional, and community newspapers. An example of a
national daily in Nigeria is the Punch newspaper.
In the light of the foregoing, then, it becomes quite necessary to find out if the newspaper
is really being read by its target audience. It is tantamount to a waste of resources if
newspapers are published, and nobody, or very few people, reads them. In reality, there is
a growing concern that newspaper readership is declining. The US Census Bureau reveals
that the population of newspaper readers declined from a figure of 62.1 million in 1970 to
55.8 million in 2000. Compaine and Gomery (2000) also found out that people, on the
average, now spend just 15 minutes perusing the newspapers unlike in the mid-70s when
the average time spent reading was 32 minutes. It would thus be interesting to investigate
newspaper readership among Nigerians. In a related research carried out by mediaReach
OMD (2005), it was discovered that the Sun and the Punch newspapers had the highest
percentage of national readership, polling 4% each. However, this only measures which
newspaper is being read the most, and not how many people, as a percentage of the whole
population, read the newspaper.
The main thrust of this study is to investigate newspaper readership among Nigerians.
That is, in spite of the seemingly colossal and overbearing importance of the newspaper
to daily living, do people read them? Research findings referred to above seem to indicate
otherwise. This is a pilot study, though, and as such, the study will be tested first among
30 respondents drawn randomly from the Ikeja metropolis.
The research questions that have been drawn up to investigate this are:
1. To what extent is the newspaper reading culture prominent among Nigerians?
2. For what reasons do Nigerians read newspapers?
3. What items do Nigerians read most in these newspapers?
4. Do press reviews aired daily on Radio or TV affect newspaper readership among
Nigerians?
For the purpose of this study, newspaper readership has been used to denote how often,
and to what degree, students read newspapers.
EMPIRICAL STUDIES ON NEWSPAPER READERSHIP IN NIGERIA
Researches carried out so far indicate that newspaper readership in Nigeria may be
declining. A research on the reading habits of Nigerians by Kunle Oloyede (1985)
implies that Nigerians are not interested in reading activities, and that an average
Nigerian would prefer other recreational activities to reading. The study also puts it
forward that there seems to be a link between the low reading habits of Nigerians and the
low standard of education. Ziregbe (1984) also found out that among the people of Warri,
more men read the newspapers than do women. Fayemi (1984) confirms this as well
when he found out male students of the University of Lagos read newspapers more than
their female counterparts, and he believes this is because females would rather buy
dresses and shoes than buy newspapers. The Ziregbe study also revealed that the Front-
page news of any newspaper has the highest percentage of readership among readers.
mediaFacts (2006) also came out with research findings that show that as much as
79.78% of Nigerians do not read newspapers given any day, and that only about 10% of
the population read newspapers everyday. Oloyede (1985) would have us believe this
also is indicative of how low the literacy level is in Nigeria.
The famous Bernard Berelson study (1949) revealed some key reasons why people read
newspapers. These reasons include:
1. To get information about and interpretation of public affairs
2. As tools for daily living, for example, advertising, announcements of births,
deaths, and weddings et cetera.
3. For relaxation and escape
4. For prestige (newspaper content is raw material for conversation)
5. For social contact (from human interest and advice columns)
This study will attempt to revisit the issue of readership again so as to see if there has
been any change whatsoever. Do more, or less, Nigerians read newspapers now? It will
also try to determine what items Nigerians read most in newspapers.
METHODOLOGY
The survey method was employed in this study, and the research questions which formed
the basis of the instrument for this investigation are:
1. To what extent is the newspaper reading culture prominent among Nigerians?
2. For what reasons do Nigerians read newspapers?
3. What items do Nigerians read most in these newspapers?
4. Do Radio/TV press reviews affect newspaper readership among Nigerians?
The population of this pilot test is made up of people who live in or transact business
in/around Ikeja, the commercial capital of Lagos. The convenience sampling method was
adopted for this study, since one main aim of a pre-test is to gauge whether a study
approach is correct and rectify it. As a result`, thirty respondents who were willing to
participate in the study were selected. The questionnaire was the research instrument used
to obtain data for the analysis of the study.
The questionnaire was structured in two parts: A and B. Section A sought to elicit
information on respondents’ demographic variables of Age, Gender, Income, and Level
of Education. These questions were designed so as to find out if these variables affect
newspaper readership patterns. Section B investigated whether respondents read
newspapers, what they read, why, and how often they do so. Section A had 3 items, while
section B had 19 items. In all, there was a total of 22 questionnaire items, comprising
both open-ended and close-ended items. Thirty (30) copies of the questionnaire were
administered, and all were retrieved. Data collected through the questionnaire items were
analysed using the frequency method. Also, the pilot test revealed that the questionnaire
items were understood as meant, and there was little or no need for an elaborate revision.
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF PRELIMINARY FINDINGS
Part one: Demographic Information
Gender distribution Table 1
Age distribution
Tab.2
Level of Education Tab. 3
Respondents No %FSLC 5 16.67Secondary level 8 26.67Tertiary level 11 36.67Post-tertiary 6 20
The three tables above show the demographic spread of the respondents. As regards
gender distribution, 56.67%(17) of respondents were male, while 43.33%(13) were
females.
Respondents No %20-29 13 43.3330-39 12 4040 upwards 5 16.67
Respondents No %Male 17 56.67Female 13 43.33
Table 2 reveals the age distribution of respondents. Most were youths, ranging between
20-39 years. Only 16.67% were 40 years and above, while 83.33% were less than 40
years
Also, most of the respondents were well educated, at least up to and beyond the
secondary level, with only 5 respondents having only primary education. Table 3
demonstrates this. A total of 25 respondents were educated beyond the basic level. This
implies that most respondents were literate enough to read newspapers.
Part two: Information items
Research Question One: To what extent is the newspaper reading culture prominent
among Nigerians?
Items 1, 3-6 of the questionnaire were used to answer this research question. Respondents
were asked how often they read newspapers, and these were their responses: Very often:
22 (73.33%); Often: 5(16.67%); Rarely: 3(10%).
These responses show that 27 (90%) read newspapers quite regularly. Only 3 respondents
claim to read the newspapers rarely.
Respondents were also asked when they read newspapers most, and this shows their
responses: Morning: 16 (53.33%); Afternoon: 8 (26.67%); Evening: 4(13.33%); No
response: 2(6.67%). Most respondents claim they read newspapers in the morning. This
may imply they do so before beginning the day’s activities. Furthermore, 26.67% read
newspapers in the afternoon, while 13.33% do so in the evening. 6.67% did not respond
to this item.
Again, respondents were asked how much time they spend reading papers daily. These
are the responses: Less than 15mins:11(36.67%); 15-30mins:13(43.33%); 31mins-
1hr: 3(10%); No response: 3(10%)
It can thus be inferred that 53.33% spend over 15 minutes reading newspapers, while
36.67% spend less than 15minutes. 10% did not respond to the item, and said they could
not provide an estimate of how long they spend reading newspapers on any given day.
Respondents were also asked how many papers they read in a day and 21 (70%) claim to
read more than two papers; 5(16.67%) read just one newspaper a day, while the rest, 4
(13.33%) claim to read two newspapers.
Respondents were also asked how they would feel if they did not read newspapers in a
day, and the following are their responses: Feel deprived: 17(56.67%); Feel normal:
8(26.67%); No response: 5(16.67%). These results suggest that a majority, 56.67%,
would feel bothered if they do not read newspapers in a day.
It can therefore be inferred from the above responses to the 5 information items that there
is a significantly high level of newspaper reading culture among the population. This is
because 90% read newspapers regularly; 53.33% spend more than 15 minutes daily
reading the newspaper, and 70% read more than 2 newspapers daily. Also, 56.67% feel
deprived if they are not able to read newspapers in a day.
This result cannot be conclusive though as this is a trial or mini version of the original
study.
Research Question Two: For what reasons do Nigerians read newspapers?
Items 2, 7-9 of section B of the questionnaire proffer answers to this research question.
Respondents who claim to read newspapers rarely or never were asked to give their
reasons for doing so. Knowing why they do not read papers or read only rarely will help
know how they can be made to read. These were their reasons: I’m too busy: 2; It’s a
waste of time: 1.
Respondents were also told to indicate which paper they read most. This was an open-
ended question. Unexpectedly, however, only three newspapers were mentioned: The
Punch, 15(50%), The Sun, 10 (33.33%), and The Guardian, 5 (16.67%). The Punch
had the highest frequency, followed by The Sun and The Guardian newspapers
respectively. The reasons for their choice were also investigated, and are presented in the
table below.
Table 4: why respondents read a particular paper most
More informative
More credible
More interesting
No response
Total
The Punch 11 3 1 - 15(50%)The Sun 2 2 6 - 10(33.33%)The Guardian
2 1 2 5(16.67%)
Total
15 7 6 2 30(100%)
These responses show that out of the 15 respondents who believe the newspaper of their
choice is more informative, 11 prefer the Punch, while the Sun and the Guardian had 2
each. As regards credibility, 3 believe the Punch is more credible; the Sun had 2, while
the Guardian had 1. Also, this finding may indicate that respondents read a particular
newspaper the most if they find it more informative.
Respondents were also asked the reasons they read newspapers generally and the
responses are these:
Table 5: why respondents read newspapers
Information, education & entertainment 17(56.67%)Relaxation, to pass the time 8(26.67%)Prestige reasons 5(16.67%)No response - Total 30(100%)
Scholars have defined the traditional functions of the mass media to be the provision of
information, education, and entertainment. Respondents who read newspapers for these
reasons were in the majority, polling 56.67% of the whole lot. 26.67% read newspapers
to relax and escape, while 16.67% read for prestige reasons.
When all the answers to the items that proffer answers to this research question are taken
into view then, certain conclusions may be reached. The traditional functions of the mass
media are still strong reasons why people read the newspaper. People also place more
premium on a paper being more informative, than on its being interesting. The Punch had
the highest readership, followed by the Sun.
Research Question Three: What items do Nigerians read most in these newspapers?
Items 10-13 of the section B of the questionnaire proffer answers to this research
question.
Respondents were asked what items they read in the newspaper, and they came up with
the following responses, presented in Table 6.
Table 6: what respondents read in newspapers.
Grp No Responses Freq (%)1 FP,Humour,Headlines,Human angle 8(20%)2 Humour, human angle 6(26.67%)3 Ed.,humour,human angle,sport,headline 5(16.67%4 FP,ads.,joblistings,grp 3 3(10%)5 Everything 3(10%)6 Nothing in particular 2(6.67%)7 FP, Ed. 2(6.67%)8 Ed.,grp 2 1(3.33%)
Total 30(100%)This table shows that the highest figure was recorded for Group 1, followed by groups 2
and 3 respectively. Group 8 had the least figure, while 6.67% do not read anything in
particular. Only 10% read everything.
Respondents were also asked to tell what items they would not want removed at all from
the newspaper, and the following table depicts their responses
Table 7: what items respondents would not want removed
Grp No Responses Freq (%)1 Sports 7(23.33%)2 FP, BP, Sports 6(20%)3 FP 5(16.67%)4 Sports, FP, Ed. 5(16.67%)5 Headlines 3(10%)6 Human Angle 2(6.67%)7 FP, Humour 2(6.67%)
No response - Total 30(100%)
Table 7 shows that most respondents would not like for Sports news and FrontPage news
to be removed. This in tune with previous research findings that show that most
undergraduate readers read these two items the most (Omilabu, 2008). It is significant
that both FrontPage and Sports news appeared in every category created. This suggests
that both mattered a lot to readers.
Respondents were as well asked to tell which items they would not mind if those items
were removed from the newspaper, and they came up with the following responses in
Table 8
Table 8: items respondents would not mind if removed
Responses Freq. (%)Ed. 7(23.33%)Adv 6(20%)Humour 6(20%)Headlines 3(10%)Human Angle 2(6.67%)FrontPage 2(6.67%)Sports 1(3.33%)No response 3(10%) Total 30(100%)
This table shows that more respondents would not be perturbed if editorials and adverts
were removed from the newspaper. This is an indication that a good number of readers do
not know the importance of the editorial page. This result also shows that only 3.33%
would not mind if sports news were removed. 10% did not answer this item.
Lastly, respondents were asked to tell what kind of news interested them the most, and
Table 9 presents their responses.
Table 9: news respondents find most interesting
Responses Freq. (%)Politics 10(33.33%)Sports 8(26.67%)Entertainment 5(16.67%)Business 5(16.67%)No Response 2(6.67%) Total 30(100%)
Table 9 reveals that respondents find politics, 33.33%, and sports news, 26.67%, most
interesting.16.67% is recorded for both entertainment and business news. Politics and
sports news are therefore found most interesting. 6.67% did not respond to this item.
From all the foregoing then, it may be deduced then that readers read a lot of items in the
newspaper, but with especial preference for politics, sports, and front-page news. Human
angle is also well-read, but it does not come up repeatedly in every category as do the
afore-mentioned three.
Research Question Four: Do Radio/TV press reviews affect newspaper readership
among Nigerians?
Items 14 and 15 on Section B of the questionnaire were designed to proffer answers to
this research question.
Respondents were asked if they listen to press reviews on either radio or television in the
morning before going out, and how often they do so. These were their responses: Very
Often: 21 (70%); Often: 5 (16.67%); Rarely: 4 (13.33%). This result shows that a
majority of respondents listen to press reviews regularly. 70% and 16.67% listen to press
reviews Very Often and Often respectively. Adding these two figures up, the total of
those who listen to press reviews constantly becomes 86.67%. This is highly significant,
as it is a high percentage. It thus becomes necessary to see if this high percentage of
readers is carried on into newspaper readership. That is, do these people read newspapers
as a result of their having listened to newspaper reviews?
Consequently, respondents were asked how often they read newspapers as a follow-up to
press reviews. These responses were generated: Very Often: 22 (73.33%); Often: 6
(20%); Rarely: 2 (6.67%). This result seems to indicate that listening to press reviews
may influence newspaper readership positively. This is because over 90% of those who
listen to press reviews (adding together the values for Very often (73.33%) and Often
(20%) still go ahead to read newspapers. Even the remaining 6.67% do read newspapers,
howbeit only rarely. It may be that they read the newspapers so as to get more detailed
information of choice news.
From these findings then, it may be inferred that listening to press reviews regularly may
influence newspaper readership positively, as more respondents still go on to read
newspapers after listening to press reports. Better still, it can be said that there is a
relationship between listening to press reports and newspaper readership.
CONCLUSION
This is a pilot study. It was carried out to check if the questionnaire items were
understood as meant. Also, its findings are expected to be further tested in the main
study. Moreover, it may be too early to make recommendations at this stage since this is
still a pilot test. These then are the provisional findings that may be drawn from this pre-
test:
First, there is a significantly high incidence of newspaper reading culture among people
who live in or transact business in/around Ikeja. This is made quite clear as 90% read
newspapers regularly, while 70% read more than 2 newspapers daily.
Second, the traditional functions of the mass media are still strong reasons why people
read the newspaper, and in fact many more will prefer a newspaper that is deemed more
informative and credible to one that is simply interesting. It was also discovered that the
Punch had the highest readership.
Third, readers have singular fondness for politics, sports, and front-page news. A good
number of respondents also read human angle stories, and this certainly is an important
minority.
Fourth, listening to press reviews is a definite factor that influences, or is influenced by,
newspaper reading; as more respondents still go on to read newspapers after listening to
press reports.
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