In 2020, traditional media sources (television, newspaper, radio) are still the preferred media when getting news and information. New Mexico residents are most likely to say television is their primary news source, followed by newspaper and radio news.
Television is the single most popular source of information. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of New Mexicans say they get their news or information from television either a lot (49%) or somewhat (23%).
Residents who are more likely than others to get news from television ‘a lot’ include seniors 65 years and older (62%), compared to those ages 18 to 34 (31%) who get their news by way of television. Based on ethnicity, Hispanics access television as a news source 56 percent of the time, compared to Anglos who access television news 44 percent of the time.
New Mexico residents access radio either ‘a lot’ (24%) or ‘somewhat’ (24%) for news and information. Interestingly, 60 percent of residents living in North Central New Mexico access radio as a news source, compared to 38 percent of those living in Eastern New Mexico. Also, residents who are more likely than others to get news and information from radio ‘a lot’ include Hispanics (30%) compared to Anglos (17%).
Print or online newspapers are accessed by 48 percent of residents as a news source. Based on income, 53 percent of residents earning less than $20,000 annually and 51 percent of those earning in excess of $80,000 access newspapers on a regular basis.
Digital news sources continue to be a consistent source for news and information. New Mexico residents are most likely to say internet news is their primary digital source followed by social media sites and internet blogs.
Nearly three-fifths (58%) of New Mexicans say they rely on internet news sites either ‘a lot’ (33%) or ‘somewhat’ (25%).
Residents who are more likely than others to get news and information from internet news sites ‘a lot’ include those ages 18 to 49 (41%) compared to those 50 and older (23%).
Since 2011, New Mexico residents have increased their use of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter as a source for news by 32 percent.
In the 2020 survey, just over two-fifths (41%) of residents say they rely on the social network for news either a lot (24%) or somewhat (17%).
Residents ages 18 to 34 (43%) and those 35 to 49 (32%) access social media more for news than do those age 50 and older (9%). Also, 28 percent of Hispanics compared to 20 percent of Anglos are likely to access social networks for news.
Over one-third of New Mexico residents say they rely on internet blogs either ‘a lot’ (21%) or ‘a little’ (15%) for news and information. Interestingly, 40 percent of residents say they do not read internet blogs at all for their news and information.
Political preferences also play into how much residents access internet blogs for news and information. Republicans rely on blogs for news and information more than Democrats, but those residents are in the minority. Residents identifying as independent or unregistered are more likely than the party faithful to rely on blogs as a news source.