Britons prefer to buy newspapers rather than pay for online news

Posted by Clara Martínez Turco on July 1, 2010 at 12:23 PM

Readers in the United Kingdom are willing to pay for print newspapers but not for online content, a YouGov SixthSense report revealed yesterday.

Compared with 83 percent of readers that refuse to pay for online news, the study found that two thirds of readers would buy a "good newspaper," NewMediaAge reported. Only 4 percent would be willing to pay for online information if a quality newspaper was not available.

Photo: Ed Yourdon's Flickr photostream

When given the option to pay for print daily or to read a free newspaper, 44 percent would buy a newspaper because they consider freesheets to not have "much real content." Nonetheless, 38 percent believe the current price of newspapers is too high.

"When you are used to receiving free reporting for nigh on ten years, you are not going to one day start compliantly paying for the same content," said James McCoy, research director of YouGov SixthSense, according to journalism.co.uk.

The survey came out two days before the launch of The Times and The Sunday Times' paywalls, which are expected to start tomorrow.