While many popular print newspapers around the country are moving solely to a digital platform, it seems that college newspapers are not following this trend. The reason for this is because students enjoy getting their news from print rather than online versions of their college publications. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Texas surveyed 198 newspaper advisors, and found that 93% of college students prefer the print paper to the online version. The survey provided the following five reasons for this preference: accessibility, tangibility, exclusive content, habit, and strength.
- Accessibility: Printed newspapers are easy to acquire. College students can just walk around campus and pick up a newspaper from any campus kiosk. This allows them to not have to actively seek out the news like accessing the online version does.
- Tangibility: It seems that college students enjoy having something tangible to read, rather than constantly being attached to their computer screen. Being able to read their college newspaper in print allows them to disconnect from electronics for a little bit, something which is hard to come by in today’s society.
- Exclusive Content: Simply, college students love puzzles such as Sudoku and Crossword, which are only offered in print versions of student newspapers.
- Habit: Humans are creatures of habit, and many college students have made picking up a copy of their college publication on their way to class habit. Therefore, they are less inclined to access the online version of the newspaper.
- Strength: Many college students find that the web editions of the college newspapers simply aren’t as strong in content as the print version. This drives students who are truly looking to stay up to date on news to pick up a hard copy of the paper from a local kiosk.
