Some results from the Media Barometer 2017

The Media Barometer
 | 23 May 2018
The Swedish Media Barometer is an annual survey that analyses daily media use on different platforms among the Swedish population. Here are some results from the the 2017 survey. 

Digital habits grow when media habits change

The Swedish Media Barometer Survey 2017 shows that the use of media on the Internet is increasing. For example, in 2017 we spent more time on social media as well as moving images on the Internet than in 2016. However, despite the success of digital technology, it is important to emphasise that technology switches do not mean that the use of traditional media has decreased. Traditional radio and television are still the biggest media platforms.

Print readership is steadily declining

The reach of printed newspapers has fallen sharply over the past ten years. The decline in print readership has not been compensated for by a rise in online readership. 56 per cent of the population read a newspaper on a regular day, while 27 per cent read online. However, the newspaper is still the text medium that has the largest daily reach, and it still has the largest reach in print.

Books and magazines are read on paper

The proportion of book readers is relatively stable over time while the amount of magazine readers has slightly decreased over the years. The weekly reach of books and magazines is significantly higher than the daily reach. Both books and magazines are mainly read on paper. 54 per cent of the population reads a book a regular week, 35 per cent of the population reads a consumer magazine and 23 per cent reads a special interest magazine in a regular week.

The fall of the traditional television has subsided

Over the past ten years, the proportion of people watching TV through a traditional television has decreased; in 2007, 85 per cent of the population watched traditional television on an average day, and in 2017, 64 per cent of the population watched television on an average day. It's about the same share noted in 2015 and 2016. 33 per cent of the population watched web TV in 2017, while ten years ago, 1 per cent watched TV on the Internet. In the youth group, aged 15 to 24 years, it is more common to watch web TV than traditional television.

Digital radio and podcasts are growing

Traditional radio, which is still the biggest audio medium, has lost listeners in the 2000s. In 2017, 62 per cent of the population listens on an average day. While the overall proportion of radio listeners has decreased, the proportion of those listening to digital radio/podcasts has increased. The range is highest among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 and between people aged 25 to 44 years (18 and 19 per cent, respectively).

Social media continues to increase

The use of the major social media varies depending on different factors, such as gender and age. Women are more active than men on social media, and young people are more active than older people. Facebook is widely used regardless of age. The exception is children; among child users, Snapchat is the largest platform. Among senior citizens, Facebook is the platform that is mainly used. The youngsters use Instagram and Facebook approximately the same amount, about 80 per cent.

52 per cent of the population aged 9 to 79 years use social media to follow friends and family, and 27 per cent say they read news via Facebook. In the youth group aged 15 to 24 years, the proportion is 42 per cent. In the same group, 24 per cent get their news from a newspaper and 26 per cent from watching the news in Sveriges Television/the Swedish national public TV broadcaster.

Karin Hellingwerf

Topic :