Siena Research Institute

of Siena College, Loudonville, NY.

Loudonville, New York - Almost half of all New Yorkers rely on television as their primary source of news, but TV gets mixed reviews on providing adequate information to voters in national, state and local elections, according to the latest social issues survey by the Siena College Research Institute (SRI).

The survey of 883 New York State residents over the age of 18 revealed that 49% get most of their news from television. Newspapers were the choice of 35% of those surveyed, while 13% mentioned radio. Another 4% said they didn't know. Only older New Yorkers (age 55+) indicated they relied more on newspapers (42%) than television (40%). Meanwhile, younger New Yorkers favored television for news by 53%, compared to 32% for newspapers.

However, when it came to getting adequate information about political races, television found itself with room for improvement. Only 46% said they felt television offered enough information about national and state elections, while 47% said it did not. Coverage of local elections was only one point higher. Meanwhile, an almost equal number said television did not provide adequate coverage. Only 7% said they didn't know.

Among all the demographic categories included in the survey, only Republicans indicated a majority sentiment that television offers adequate coverage of any political races -- those involving state-wide elections in New York. However, even here the margin was a slim 51% -- with 43% in disagreement.

"Television is clearly the dominant force in news, yet, for many, it fails to provide adequate information about the complex issues which drive government and politics, and which determine our future," said SRI Co-Director Professor Thomas Kelly. "Unfortunately, television is a picture-driven medium and political races often don't provide the visuals that get coverage. The dilemma for TV is to find a way to deliver the information and still keep viewers hooked."

The SRI survey also questioned New Yorkers about the issue of allowing cameras back into state courts. By a wide margin -- 56% -- of those surveyed favor the idea, with only 37% against it. The greatest support -- 61% -- was found among residents of New York City. However, men and those under the age of 55 also gave firm backing to the idea, indicating support of 60% and 59% respectively.

"Some judges, lawyers and legislators may be against the idea of opening our courts to a more public view, but New Yorkers, by significant margins, favor cameras in the courts," Professor Kelly said. A ten year experiment allowing cameras in some New York Courts expired in June 1997 after the State Legislature failed to act on it.

The SRI survey was conducted by random telephone calls. It carried a margin of error of +/- 3.3 points. The complete survey is attached and can also be found on the Internet at: "www.siena.edu/sri". For further information or comment, please contact SRI Co-Director Professor Thomas Kelly at: 518-783-2595 (SRI) or 518-372-7890 (home).

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Last Updated on January 12, 2004
By Siena College
Email: legendziewic@siena.edu