(note: this is in response to Morgan Stanley intern Matthew Robson’s article on teenagers and media usage)
Dear Matthew,
For the last few months I’ve been working as an intern at DECODE and have spent a lot of time looking at the media habits of young people in the UK. When I came across your report I was very impressed by how well you had managed to capture and explain some of the key areas that I have recently become familiar with. I am pleased that you got the opportunity to be published as your observations have opened up the discussion on youth media habits.
When I first started at DECODE I was surprised that so many of the assumptions I held were not represented when looking at a broader view of the population. After reading your report I was interested to explore how inline our data was with your observations. I am also a few years older so wanted to see what we could discover if we added my experience to your insights to build up a more developed picture.
The idea that young people, particularly teens, don’t read newspapers is one that has been inscribed in folklore. That 39% of 15-18 year olds report reading a paid for newspaper at least once a week is something of a shock.
Your observation that most teens are heavily active on social networking is also one that is also shared by many. I was surprised when the data revealed that almost 40% of teens use social networking sites less than once a week.
I was interested to discover that radio is more popular than we both assumed, as 54% of teens report listening to the radio at least once a week. I was also surprised to find that brands such as the BBC had a higher approval rating than other channels specifically targeted at teens, with 53% of teens having particularly positive feelings about the BBC.
You were definitely right that music is popular amongst young people. Our data shows that 78% of teenagers say that music is a particular interest to them. The data regarding music downloading seems to refute common assumptions that paying for music is a thing of the past. We are apparently a more honest bunch than is often made out. Our data shows that a majority of teenagers report paying for music most of the time.
The data supports your observation that young people visit the cinema quite often, as 67% of teens go to the cinema at least once a month.
I hope these insights can add to your understanding of the media and internet habits of young people in the UK. I wanted to show how the data can help develop a greater understanding of teenage behavior. Most importantly, I was inspired to support the precedent you have set that when it comes to understanding young people, who better to ask than the intern.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Doherty.
(These insights are drawn from a report produced by DECODE as a response to Matthew’s observations into teenage media and internet consumption in the UK)
Ben Doherty Generation Y, United Kingdom, Youth Trends Internet, media, Music, Social Networking, Technology, Television