People of all ages are now turning to the web for what’s going on in the area they live in, research has revealed.
Overall, 89 per cent are using the web to find out what’s going on in their area.
Facebook groups are the leading place for local government information on bin opening times, gritting, events and the other 1,200 services that local government offered in the Ofcom local news and information data release.
The lovely people at Ofcom have released 36,000 lines of data in their local news and information release. For public sector communicators who deal with a local area this is solid gold.
The good news is that nine out of 10 for all age demographics are interested in some kind of local news and information.
Times change
Back when I was a lad, it was maybe the local paper or word of mouth where you’d find out what was happening locally. Those days have gone. Where people get information is now a far more complex picture.
For public sector communicators, all this represents a mountain to climb. The good news is that the data can provide a route map up the north face. The Ofcom data provides a route to climb.
Sources of local news and information
First off, there’s a pile of useful data that maps the channels that each demographic uses.
What’s clear is that newspapers are losing the battle for local attention for local news even among older people. Print is declining out as a source of local news with around a fifth using that as a way to find things out.
Newspaper websites are marginally better and peak at 40 per cent with 45 to 54-year-olds.
Online is the preferred source for all demographics – even over 75s.
Sources of local information by age demographic and percentage
| Channel | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65-74 | 75+ |
| Any online source | 93 | 94 | 95 | 93 | 90 | 81 | 71 |
| Social media | 63 | 63 | 59 | 56 | 56 | 41 | 27 |
| Print newspapers | 17 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 21 |
| Websites and apps of local newspapers | 26 | 33 | 33 | 40 | 32 | 29 | 30 |
| Messaging apps (WhatsApp, NextDoor) | 14 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 28 |
| Local magazines | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 26 | 34 |
Where people get local government data
In short, under 24s head to the BBC website for their local info with 36 per cent favouring this route and 21 per cent using search.
But it is local social media groups such as Facebook groups that dominates for 25 to 64-year-olds as the most important place to find local government info. Search plays a secondary role with TV being the local news source for over 65s.
Sources of local government information by age demographic and percentage
| Channel | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65-74 | 75+ |
| Any radio | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 17 |
| Local Facebook groups and other social media | 19 | 50 | 23 | 26 | 32 | 26 | 13 |
| BBC website | 36 | 28 | 14 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| Search | 21 | 23 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
| Websites of newspapers | 10 | 21 | 23 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Nextdoor | 2 | 4 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 27 |
| Email newsletters | 6 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 21 |
| Reach plc websites | 8 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| TV | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 26 | 27 | 40 |
| Free newspaper (printed) | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Paid for newspaper (printed) | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 14 |
Eleswhere in the data there’s other useful insight.
What local news and information people are interested in
Of course the kind of things people will go for is going to be motivated by how old they are. I think we all instinctively know this without having see any data. Older people are more connected with their communities. Younger people less so. But they may want to know what they can do in the local area.
Younger people are least bothered by current affairs in theikr local area but the rate – 49 per cent – is maybe higher than I would have guessed. They are also more likely on 63 per cent to use social media to find it out.
Over 35 and two thirds are interested in local current affairs.
Interest in local news and information by age demographic and percentage
| Channel | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65-75 | 75+ |
| Uses any online source | 93 | 94 | 95 | 93 | 90 | 81 | 71 |
| Local news and current affairs | 49 | 56 | 65 | 67 | 73 | 72 | 74 |
| Local events and what’s on | 32 | 37 | 39 | 45 | 50 | 50 | 53 |
| Local government info | 20 | 38 | 32 | 38 | 41 | 43 | 53 |
| Local life and community stories (history and nature) | 17 | 22 | 22 | 28 | 34 | 28 | 41 |
| Campaigns (crime, health, local issues) | 16 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 26 |
I’m not aware of Ofcom producing local news data before. This is excellent to see. Often, data sets when dealing with news focus only on the national media which has limited value to many public sector people outside Whitehall.
Now to update training slides with this snapshot and other pearls.