Crime is one of the most popular subjects for Americans to seek local information, ranking 4th of 16 categories, says a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and Internet & American Life Project. The survey, released yesterday, said that 66 percent of Americans seek local crime information, and newspapers remain a main source of it. Crime outranked topics like taxes, housing, schools, and traffic but was somewhat lower than the weather, politics, and “breaking news” (which can include crime). The Internet was identified as a main source of information about restaurants and other local businesses.
The survey found generally that people use a variety of platforms to get information, including newspapers, television, radio, and the Internet. For the 79 percent of Americans who are online, the Internet is the first or second most relied-upon source for 15 of the 16 local topics examined. One basic conclusion: “Most Americans, including more tech-savvy adults under age 40, also use a blend of both new and traditional sources to get their information.”