The survey

Example response

Jennifer, our example online

news consumer, took her first

survey on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

When answering, she was asked

to think about the past two hours.

 

Below is what each of the 14 short surveys looked like over the

course of the week

Did you get any online news on the following topics in the past two hours? If so, this was a news instance.

 

In the past two hours, Jennifer got news on politics, science, and entertainment. This was a news instance – sometimes referred to as one of the times she got news.

1

examples of topics:

Government and politics, people and events in your community, business and finance

 

Which topic did you get all or most of your news about?

This is the main news topic.

She got most of her news about science, so that was her main topic.

 

2

How did you access your news on that main topic?

This is the pathway used.

 

She got this news from a social networking site. This was the pathway.

 

3

examples of pathways:

A news organization’s website or app, search engines, social networking sites

4

She got to this news by clicking on
a link from social media, but did not remember the news outlet.

If you got news by clicking on a link from social media, emails or text messages, do you remember the name of the outlet that the link led to?

Respondents could write down the name of up to 3 outlets, or could indicate that they did not remember

5

Did you seek out this news, happen upon it while doing something else online, or find it while already getting other news?

She happened upon this news
while doing other things online.

 

Did you follow up on this news by taking any actions?

She followed up on this news with two actions. She spoke with someone about that news in person, and commented on that news on social media.

 

6

Examples of Actions:

Spoke with someone about the news, sent an article, shared it on social media, bookmarked it

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The survey

Example response

Jennifer, our example online

news consumer, took her first

survey on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

When answering, she was asked

to think about the past two hours.

 

Below is what each of the 14 short surveys

looked like over the course of the week

Did you get any online news on the following

topics in the past two hours? If so, this was a

news instance.

 

In the past two hours, Jennifer got news on politics, science, and entertainment. This was a news instance – sometimes referred to as one of the times she got news.

1

examples of topics:

Government and politics, people and events

in your community, business and finance

 

Which topic did you get all or most of your

news about? This is the main news topic.

She got most of her news about

science, so that was her main topic.

 

2

How did you access your news on that main

topic? This is the pathway used.

 

She got this news from a social

networking site. This was the pathway.

 

3

examples of pathways:

A news organization’s website or app, search

engines, social networking sites

4

If you got news by clicking on a link from social

media, emails or text messages, do you

remember the name of the outlet that the link

led to?

She got to this news by clicking on

a link from social media, but did

not remember the news outlet.

Respondents could write down the name of up

to 3 outlets, or could indicate that they did not

remember

5

Did you seek out this news, happen upon it

while doing something else online, or find it

while already getting other news?

She happened upon this news

while doing other things online.

 

Did you follow up on this news by taking

any actions?

She followed up on this news with

two actions. She spoke with

someone about that news in person,

and commented on that news on

social media.

 

6

Examples of Actions:

Spoke with someone about the news,

sent an article, shared it on social media,

bookmarked it

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The survey

Below is what each of the 14 short surveys looked like over the course of the week ...

... followed by an example response

Jennifer, our example online news consumer, took her first survey on Wednesday at 1 p.m. When answering, she was asked to think about the past two hours.

 

Did you get any online news on the following topics in the past two hours? If so, this was a news instance.

 

1

In the past two hours, Jennifer got news on politics, science, and entertainment. This
was a news instance – sometimes referred to
as one of the times she got news.

Which topic did you get all or most of your news about? This is the main news topic.

2

She got most of her news about science, so that was her main topic.

 

How did you access your news on that main topic? This is the pathway used.

 

3

Examples of pathways: A news organization’s website or app, search engines, social networking sites

She got this news from a social networking site. This was the pathway.

 

If you got news by clicking on a link from social media, emails or text messages, do you remember the name of the outlet that the link led to?

4

Respondents could write down the name of up to 3 outlets, or could indicate that they did not remember

She got to this news by clicking on a link
from social media, but did not remember
the news outlet.

Did you seek out this news, happen upon it while doing something else online, or find it while already getting other news?

5

She happened upon this news while doing other things online.

 

Did you follow up on this news by taking any actions?

6

Examples of actions: Spoke with someone about the news, sent an article, shared it on social media, bookmarked it

She followed up on this news with two actions. She spoke with someone about that news in person, and commented on that news on social media.

 

PEW RESEARCH CENTER