Main Reasons People Read Online: Convenience, News, Learning and Entertainment
Our survey of 1,000 Australians in October 2019 shows that most respondents read online because it’s free and convenient. Most of them do it to keep up with news and stay up to date with current affairs, but another big category is research.
Types of research may include:
- Information and answer seeking
- Learning and studying
- General research
- Broadening knowledge
Other prominent reasons include leisure related activities such as killing time, entertainment and reading up on special interests.
A smaller segment of our respondents also mentioned speed of access, being abroad or in the country.
Interestingly, only 1% look things up for work.
Sample Survey Answers
| Gender | Age | Geography | Answers |
| Male | 45-54 | VIC | To keep up-to-date with what is going on with our current health and lifestyle |
| Unknown | Unknown | SA | easy, and wider variety of information available than in any one printed publication |
| Female | Unknown | VIC | To research answers to questions that I want to know and also to see what is around. |
| Unknown | Unknown | QLD | Because I work all the time and have less time to myself and it’s more convenient online |
| Female | 65+ | VIC | to keep abreast of global political, economic and environmental situations |
| Female | 18-24 | QLD | I read online content when I have any questions, things I want to research of if I’m curious |
Dan Petrovic, the managing director of DEJAN, is Australia’s best-known name in the field of search engine optimisation. Dan is a web author, innovator and a highly regarded search industry event speaker.
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6886-3211
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