In your daily quest for news and information, do you prefer print publications or online Web-based publications?
In response to November JADA’s Question of the Month, 94 percent of the respondents said they prefer to get their news and information from print publications.
Readers should note that the question was asked within the context of a print publication and that respondents were reading a print publication. The findings, therefore, should be received with some skepticism.
Several readers cited portability and comfort as the reasons why they prefer print publications. "I still prefer to read print materials in a comfortable chair with good lighting," said one. "I also read print materials on the light rail to and from the clinic."
"I enjoy reading magazines in my easy chair or bathtub," said another. "I get bug-eyed looking at that screen after several hours."
"Online keeps you glued to one spot, while print gives you more flexibility and freedom," said an additional respondent.
Others said that print publications are more convenient. "I prefer print because I can read books and magazines when there is time between patients, especially JADA," said one.
"Having limited access to a computer is a problem," said another.
Some respondents said they found print publications simpler to use. "It is much easier to take an article or magazine along with me than to look for, download and print an article," said one.
"Printed material is still quicker to read and find," said another. "And it has the advantage of being retained for future reference without cluttering up your computer’s memory."
Interest in using the Internet also played a part. "I don’t even look online," said one reader.
"I watch cable for my news and also listen to radio and I read the local paper," said another. "I get very little news info from the Web."
Two percent of respondents to the November Question of the Month—which was presented only in print—said they prefer to receive their news and information from online sources. "I would prefer to search a topic online," said one. "It would save storage space in my library."
Four percent of respondents said they have no preference. "I prefer print publications first and online second," said one. "Articles in journals can be saved. Online articles may not print accurately or ‘the computer may be down.’ "
"My first choice used to be print, but I am slowly changing," said another.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has been studying Americans’ Web usage, its impact on society, and the trends and activities that characterize the online world since March 2000.
The project’s report America’s Online Pursuits: The Changing Picture of Who’s Online and What They Do—published online Dec. 22, 2003, at "www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=106"—noted that, overall, 63 percent of adult Americans use the Internet. The online population expanded from roughly 86 million in March 2000 to 126 million in August 2003. The online news population grew by 50 percent during the same period due to an increase in content and the momentum of important news events in recent years.
According to the report, experience and the quality of online connections affect usage. Users with more experience online and those who have high-speed connections at home generally do more online more frequently than do those with less experience and dial-up connections. Additionally, as Internet users gain experience and as new applications become available, they discover more things to do online. This often leads to increased reliance on the Internet in everyday life and higher expectations about how the Internet can be used.
