Each year, the Digital Barometer looks at digital equipment and usage. In its 2021 edition, this study published by Arcep includes the practices of press readers.
Paper readers are the majority
Despite the decline in sales of this medium, readers of paper presses remain in the majority, the study indicates. 63% of those surveyed read the press in paper format, compared to 56% in digital format.
But for many readers, the two media are cumulative. The Barometer shows that more than half (56%) of newspaper readers combine both print and digital media. A very large proportion of respondents (81%) read paid newspapers and magazines on paper, while on digital media, the majority of readers (52%) consult free articles.
Finally, when the press is paid for, subscriptions are preferred by the majority of press readers, as opposed to single issue or single article press, with a significant gap between digital press readers preferring subscriptions (86%) compared to those reading the paper press (64%).
Carried out by CREDOC (Centre de recherche pour l'étude et l'observation des conditions de vie), this survey is based on a representative sample of 4,029 people aged 12 and over, interviewed by telephone and online.
Paper sales remain the primary source of revenue for publishers
In its latest annual report (November 2020) on the graphic communications markets, Idep points out that although the health crisis has inevitably favored digitalization with increases in the number of visits to websites and applications, paper sales still represent the largest share of publishers' revenues, despite the decline in print runs.
