10/01/2013 00:00
TW
0
Newsdesk

PALMA
THOSE among the Balearic population who read newspapers has increased by more than 20 percent during the last four years, as the number of people who confirm that they read a paper at least twice a week has risen from 58 percent in 2003 to 80 percent in 2007, according to the results of the Poll of Cultural Habits and Practices carried out by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The percentage of the population who read a newspaper “every day or almost every day” rose from 31.8 percent to 40.5 percent in this period, while those who read newspapers three or four times a week has increased from 9.4 percent to 15.1 percent. The most significant increase is in the group who read a newspaper once or twice a week, which rose from 16.4 to 24.6 percent.

On the other hand, the decrease by almost 50% in the group who said they “never or seldom” read a paper stands out, as this has fallen from 30.3 percent in 2003 to 16.1 percent in 2007. There was also a reduction in the number of people who read papers from one to three times a month, from 7.6 to 2.5 percent, and in the group who read papers even less, from 4.4 to 3.2 percent.

The interest in reading newspapers shown by those questioned in the Balearics was rated as 6.2 on a scale of one to 10, as more than half gave it 7, with 24.9 percent giving 9-10 points, 28.1 percent giving 7-8 points, and 25.5 percent 5-6 points. The group of people who showed little or no interest in the press made up 22 percent, of which 7.5 percent gave 3-4 points and 14.5 percent 0-2 points.

The habits of those who generally read newspapers on the islands reveal that 80.7 percent read general information publications. Some 78.1 percent read papers which are not free, while 33.6 percent read free papers.

In addition to this, 19.8 percent said that they usually read the news on the internet. Cultural magazines also have a considerable readership (26 percent), while 42 percent said that they read other types of magazines. Daily sports reports are read at least once a month by 26.3 percent of Balearic citizens. Some 9.4 percent read them “every day or nearly every day”, 4.7 percent read them three or four times a week and 6.5 percent once or twice a week.