According to research just concluded on behalf of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, candidates are missing a beat if they don’t use newspapers for their messaging.
In a representative survey of North Dakota adults, 86 percent said they read print or digital newspapers every month. What’s more, 70 percent said newspapers (print or digital) are used most often for information that helps guide their voting decisions, compared to 62 percent for local television, 61 percent for social media, and 58 percent for direct mail.
“This is a resounding victory for newspapers, showing their continued relevance to voters,” said Cecile Wehrman, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association. “This research establishes North Dakota’s 73 multi-day and weekly newspapers as a key tool for disseminating information about candidates and issues.” It’s a message being carried to the state’s political party conventions in Fargo later this week, along with details about how NDNA’s “all-in-one” messaging can work for candidates this political season.
Newspapers and newspaper websites were identified as the primary source for information about candidates and ballot issues by 45 percent of those surveyed -- compared to 35 percent for local television/websites and just 13 percent for social media.
“With digital being the buzzword in today’s media landscape, too often people forget newspapers are also digital. However, we’re not only reaching readers in the digital space through local newspaper websites and social media postings, we’re also reaching people who can’t be found in any other space in the kinds of numbers delivered by newspapers,” said Wehrman.
The research was conducted by Coda Ventures between February 12-March 19, 2024, and has a margin of error of +/-4.4 percent.
Newspapers are reaching 289,862 readers -- nearly half the state, through daily and weekly subscriptions, newsstand sales and other messaging by local newspaper outlets. Those readership levels are based on the reporting that newspapers are required to certify with the U.S. Postal Service each year as part of their annual statement of ownership.