Not everybody reads the daily newspaper. People who don t read newspapers are sometimes referred to as non-readers. Early research has shown that the non-readers are generally low in education, low in income, either very young or very old. In addition, non-readers are more likely to live in rural areas and have less contact with neighbours and friends. Other studies show that non-readers tend to isolate themselves from the community and are less likely to own a home and seldom belong to local voluntary organizations.
Why don t these people read the daily paper? They say they don t have the time and they prefer radio or TV; they have no interest in reading a tale and besides they think newspapers are too expensive. Recent surveys, however, have indicated the portrait of the non-reader is more complicated than first thought. There appears to be a group of non-readers that do not fit the type mentioned above. They are high in income and fall into the age group of 26 to 65. They are far more likely to report that they don t have the time to read the papers and they have no interest in the content. Editors and publishers are attempting to win them back. First, they are also adding news briefs and comprehensive indexes. This will help overcome the time problem. And they are also giving variety to newspaper content to help build the reader s interest.