The challenge of increasing readership is persuading light readers that they need to read the newspaper differently. They need to spend more time with the newspaper, read more sections on more days of the week. It's all about changing reader behavior.

The first step to changing those behaviors is understanding how people use the newspaper differently. The Readership Institute developed (and tested with 37,000 consumers in 100 U.S. markets) a short series of questions that give greater insight into how people use the newspaper. From these few questions, newspapers can calculate a "Reader Behavior Score" (RBS) for the overall newspaper, individual sections, and different demographic groups. Having established a baseline measure, newspapers can track progress over time by measuring RBS periodically — seeing, for instance, whether content initiatives are intensifying the reading behaviors of the target groups.

The reports below explain in greater detail what Reader Behavior Scores are, and offer national baseline data for RBS scores and some advice on how to interpret and use an RBS.


Understanding and Calculating Reader Behavior Scores - PDF
Learn how Reader Behavior Scores are calculated. Includes text of the survey questions and comprehensive technical data on how to measure RBS in your market.

How to Interpret and Use a Reader Behavior Score
You've calculated an RBS score for your newspaper. Now what? This report will explain how to intrepret and use that score.

Reader Behavior Scores, local daily newspapers 2006 - PDF
Results from the latest national study conducted in the fall of 2006. Includes comparisons with national data gathered in 2002, 2003, and 2005.

User behavior on local daily newspapers' Web sites 2006 - PDF
This report focuses on how people use newspaper Web sites. Includes findings about whether and how people use the site, how their site usage relates to their print readership, and what important interactive capabilities the site should have.

Local daily newspapers, civic activities and trust in government 2006 - PDF
This study looks at participation in civic activities and its importance, trust in government, trust in the local daily newspaper, and the relationship of these to readership.

National RBS Questionnaire 2006 - PDF

Reader Behavior Scores, local daily newspapers 2005 - PDF

National RBS Questionnaire 2005 - PDF

Reader Behavior Scores, local daily newspapers 2003 - PDF

National RBS Questionnaire 2003 - PDF

Reader Behavior Scores, local daily newspapers 2002 - PDF

National RBS Questionnaire 2002

Reader Behavior Scores 2000-2003 - PDF

RBS National Averages 2000

List of markets surveyed

Interpreting results: "Hey some good news for a change!" (Mary Nesbitt on the Get Smart blog)