Over half of the Americans surveyed said they watch the news with a remote control, showing the fickle mood of today's news consumer. Fifty six percent said they watch the news with their remote control in hand, switching channels when they are not interested in the topic. These people watch less news than those who do not click around. Young adults are most likely to channel surf, while older viewers retain habits formed in the pre-remote control days. Young men appear least focused on the news and most likely to channel surf.
Younger viewers remain hard to reach for mainstream news sources.
The Pew Center's polling documents the media's difficulty in attracting young people to the news. Strong interest in news closer to home is sustaining audiences for local television news and daily newspapers. The public's appetite for national and international news is waning and viewership of nightly network news continues its decline. And viewership of CNN, the principal cable news source, remains in its mid-1990s slump. For those who go online, science, health, finance and technology are big news draws.