• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

How the Election Sparked an Interest in Major Newspapers Among Millennials

Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 17, 2017, 1:26 PM ET
US-INTERNET-MEDIA-TAKEOVER-AMAZON-WASHINGTONPOST
A man walks past The Washington Post on August 5, 2013 in Washington, DC after it was announced that Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos had agreed to purchase the Post for USD 250 million. Multi-billionaire Bezos, who created Amazon, which has soared in a few years to a dominant position in online retailing, said he was buying the Post in his personal capacity and hoped to shepherd it through the evolution away from traditional newsprint. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images

Here’s a twist: Since the U.S. presidential election, younger Americans who hadn’t typically turned to newspapers for their news are now doing so—at least to a handful of those papers—for political news.

According to new Pew Center Research findings, more adults under the age of 50—at rates greater than their elders—said they regularly got news from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

For example, 44% of adults between the ages of 18 and 49 said they got election news from The New York Times, compared to 23% of adults aged 50 or older, according to the survey. And, 37% of that younger cohort listed The Washington Post as a regular news source, compared to 19% of those over 50. And, 27% of the younger cohort turned to The Wall Street Journal versus 15% of older adults.

The survey covered both online and print versions of the various papers. The chart below has the full breakdown.

Younger Americans regularly got election news from nationally focused newspapers at equal or greater rates than their elders; lower for local daily papers

But it doesn’t look like the youth boom helped smaller, local papers. Older adults (67% of respondents) are more likely than younger readers (23% of respondents) to have received election news regularly from local daily papers.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The survey—conducted from November 29, 2016 through December 12, 2016—covered 4,183 adults in what Pew said is nationally representative American Trends Panel.

For more on media election coverage, watch:

While higher readership among young Americans is good news for the major national papers—which have all aggressively pursued younger readership for their digital editions—it remains to be seen how much this helps their respective bottom lines.

About the Author
Barb Darrow
By Barb Darrow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Middle EastMilitary
Attacker who killed US troops in Syria was a recent recruit to security forces and was suspected of Islamic State ties prior to shooting
By Abby Sewell and The Associated PressDecember 14, 2025
33 minutes ago
Lawgun violence
Sixteen people killed in Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack
By Peter Vercoe, Ainslie Chandler, Swati Pandey and BloombergDecember 14, 2025
1 hour ago
PoliticsMilitary
JetBlue flight near Venezuela avoids midair collision with U.S. Air Force tanker. ‘They passed directly in our flight path’
By Christopher Rugaber and The Associated PressDecember 14, 2025
2 hours ago
AsiaChina
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s first president defends China’s role as ‘responsible stakeholder’ in a less multilateral world
By Nicholas GordonDecember 14, 2025
2 hours ago
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump admits he can’t tell if the GOP will control the House after next year’s elections. ‘I don’t know when all of this money is going to kick in’
By Jason MaDecember 14, 2025
2 hours ago
EconomyFederal Reserve
Kevin Hassett says he’d be happy to talk to Trump everyday as Fed chair, but the president’s opinion would have ‘no weight’ on the FOMC
By Jason MaDecember 14, 2025
4 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
18 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
More financially distressed farmers are expected to lose their property soon as loan repayments and incomes continue to falter
By Jason MaDecember 13, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.