October 27, 2009 --  New research from Ipsos Mendelsohn and PHD finds that the majority of consumers aren't likely to pay for online newspaper or magazine content.  The survey finds:

• 55.5% of respondents say they would be "very or extremely unlikely" to pay for online newspaper or magazine content.

• Less than one of five (16.5%) responded they are "extremely, very or even somewhat likely" to pay for access to online content.

• With this said, 81.5%  of respondents who are, for example, online readers of The Wall Street Journal’s and Consumer Reports’ sites (both pay sites), consider these subscriptions to be of  "good, very good, or excellent value," thanks to their unique and valued information.

• Respondents spend almost half the time (8.9 minutes) reading a publication’s website as they do reading print, and they visit magazines’ sites about half as often as they read the issues. The frequency is a bit higher for newspapers’ sites, the survey finds.

About:  The survey was conducted in July of 2,404 U.S. adults who were asked about 40 newspapers and magazines, including Newsweek, Cosmopolitan and Cooking Light.

Source:  Editor & Publisher, Poll: More Than Half of Readers Say They Won't Pay for Online Content, October 27, 2009.