Whether it is a natural disaster or record-setting snowfall like the Northeast experienced recently, Americans turn to radio for information and companionship. That relationship builds ratings and, just as importantly, trust. A new MRI-Simmons survey finds that nearly two-thirds of Americans say radio is either “very trustworthy” or “trustworthy,” ranking it second only to newspapers. There is a mere one percent difference between the two media types.
Radio beats out the computer internet, mobile internet, and magazines by double-digit margins. More than twice as many adults consider radio trustworthy compared to social media. The numbers (people who find a media type “very trustworthy” or “trustworthy”):
+ Newspapers 65%
+ Radio 64%
+ Network TV 60%
+ Cable TV 56%
+ Computer internet 52%
+ Magazines 51%
+ Mobile internet 47%
+ Social media 26%
When it comes to fake news, it seems Americans have concluded it is not traditional media outlets that are the source, but rather online media options.
The Katz analysis also shows that radio had high trustworthy scores not only for the average American, but also among the super fans of other media. Regardless of how much additional media people consume, the data shows heavy users of television, the internet, social media, and magazines all consider radio to be more trustworthy than the respective media they consume heavily.
The gap is the largest between radio and heavy social media users, who rate radio as trustworthy by a margin of more than two-to-one (65% to 29%) compared to social media. The data, adapted from an Inside Radio article, says radio beats heavy magazine readers, of whom 52% rate the print media trustworthy, as opposed to 65% who said the same about radio.
In its analysis, Katz notes that the MRI-Simmons research demonstrates why radio is an “ideal platform” for advertisers seeking to make their voice heard and their message count. “Radio is a trusted environment with vested local connections to consumers across demographics, and all types of media users,” it says, adding, “Radio provides the best chance for messaging to break through, resonate, and not be mistrusted by consumers.”
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John Lund is President of the Lund Media Group, a radio programming consulting firm with specialists in all mainstream radio formats. Did you find this article useful? You can leave a comment below or email John at John@Lundradio.com.