Young Adults Bigger Mag Readers Than Their Parents

Young Adults Bigger Mag Readers Than Their Parents
Study: On Average, See 18 Titles a Month, Vs. 16 For Older Group
By Nat Ives

Published: May 22, 2007

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Is your 20-year-old niece just not reading that subscription to The Atlantic that you bought her for her birthday? Not to worry; she's probably reading more magazines than most 50-year-olds -- just different magazines than the older crowd likes.

That's the upshot of research results by consulting firm McPheters & Co., which said this week young adults read more magazines than older people. "Because many established titles have seen the median age of their readers increase, there has been a misperception that magazine readers are getting older," said Rebecca McPheters, president. "While younger adults tend to read different titles than those in older age groups, the fact that they read more magazines overall is very exciting."

Good news for print
Exciting, that is, for purveyors of ink on glossy paper, many of whom fear the internet will do for them what it did for Elle Girl and Teen People last year -- run them out of print.

Among a group of 8,400 respondents, those aged 19 to 24 reported reading an average of 18.3 titles in the previous six months, while the 25-to-34 set counted reading 18.9. By comparison, those aged 45-54 said they read 16.7 titles in the prior six months and people older than 65 said they read 14. The young, moreover, read more issues of the titles in question.

The findings were based on results from the beta test of Readership.com, a planned audience-measurement service for print publications, conducted last summer. A full rollout of Readership.com itself has been stalled by a lack of funding, McPheters & Co. said.