Russians Still Prefer Print Editions Over Online Publications

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 13, 2015) More than a third of Russians are most likely to read their favorite articles online and 17 percent are willing to give up print media altogether, according to a study published Monday by state-run pollster VTsIOM.

The poll was conducted last month among 1,600 people across Russia with a margin of error not exceeding 3.5 percent.

Fifty-one percent of Russians would rather read an article in print than online, down from 58 percent a year before, according to the survey. Eighteen percent said they read newspapers and magazines online every day, while 12 percent read print media publications daily.

Younger Russians were more ready to abandon print media altogether, with 36 percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 saying they were prepared to do so, while only 4 percent of Russians aged 60 or older were prepared to follow suit.

According to another survey conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation and released in late December, 59.9 percent of Russians access the Internet every day, up 13 percent from a year before.

That poll was conducted among 30,000 respondents, with no margin of error cited.