Choosing Information From Your Media Environment: What A

Choosing information from your
media environment: What
are the options?
(Version XXX with Choice Set #1)

Preliminary Draft: 12/01/2010

Copyright © 12/01/2010 Scott J. Savage and Donald M. Waldman
Do not distribute or reproduce without permission
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

We are doing research at the University of Colorado. Your answers will help us understand how
you get information on news and current affairs from four main sources: newspapers, radio, TV
and the Internet. Together, we call these four sources of information your media environment.
We are interested in the amount of advertising and the diversity of opinion in your media
environment. We would also like to know how you feel about the information you can get on
local news and events, and your media environment’s coverage of ethnic, gender, and minority
related issues.
Before we start, it may be helpful to find your most recent bills from your newspaper, satellite,
cable and/or Internet companies. Thanks for taking our survey!

Sources of Information
1. Most newspapers have a print and an online version. The print version is the traditional
newspaper you buy at a news stand or have delivered to your house. An online version can
be read through the Internet.
Do you read any print or online newspapers regularly? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

Skip to Q3

2. In a typical week, about how many hours do you spend reading the newspaper(s) to get
information on news and current affairs? (write the number of hours)
___________ hours
3. Do you have a radio at home or in your car? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

4. Do you subscribe to a satellite radio service, such as X-M or Sirius Radio? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

5. [KN: do not show when respondent indicated “No” to Q3 AND “No” to Q4] In a typical week,
about how many hours do you spend listening to the radio to get information on news and
current affairs? (write the number of hours)
___________ hours
6. Do you have one or more televisions at home? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

Skip to Q9

7. Do you subscribe to a cable or satellite TV service? (mark one answer)
m
m
m

Yes; cable TV service
Yes; satellite TV service
No

1

8. In a typical week, about how many hours do you spend watching TV to get information on
news and current affairs? (write the number of hours)
___________ hours
9. In a typical week, about how many hours do you spend using the Internet (e.g., MSN, Yahoo,
radio and TV station web sites, journalists’ blogs) to get information on news and current
affairs? (write the number of hours)
___________ hours
10. A Smartphone is a cellular telephone, such as an Android, Blackberry or iPhone, that allows
you to connect to the Internet to download “apps”, send email and surf the web.
Do you have a Smartphone? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

Skip to “Cost of Your Media Environment”

11. In a typical week, about how many hours do you spend using your Smartphone to get
information on news and current affairs? (write the number of hours)
___________ hours

Cost of Your Media Environment
Your overall media environment has a monthly cost. This is the total of all your monthly
subscriptions to newspapers, satellite radio, cable or satellite TV, and the Internet, as well as any
contributions to public radio stations (e.g. National Public Radio, NPR) and public TV stations
(e.g. the Public Broadcasting Service, PBS).
12. [KN: do not show when respondent indicated “No” to Q1] How much do you pay per month
for print or online newspapers?
$ __________ per month
13. [KN: do not show when respondent indicated “No” to Q4] How much do you pay per month
for satellite radio service?
$ __________ per month
14.[KN: do not show when respondent indicated “No” to Q10] How much do you pay per month
for your Smartphone contract?
$ __________ per month

2

15. [KN: show to “non-Internet households”, i.e., those respondents who are supplied with
laptops and Internet access from KN and are not connected to the Internet through another
service (e.g., DSL, cable modem, Wi-Fi, satellite or a different dial-up service) AND indicated
“Yes” to Q7] Some companies bundle cable or satellite TV and telephone service into a
service plan with a single monthly bill. Which of the following describes the kind of plan you
pay for at home? (mark one answer)
m
m

Separate TV service
TV and phone bundle

Skip to Q17

15. [KN: show to “Internet households, ”, i.e., those respondents who are connected to the
Internet through another service (e.g., DSL, cable modem, Wi-Fi, satellite or a different dial-up
service) AND indicated “No” to Q6 or “No” to Q7] Some companies bundle Internet and
telephone service into a service plan with a single monthly bill. Which of the following
describes the kind of plan you pay for at home? (mark one answer)
m
m

Separate Internet service
Internet and phone bundle

Skip to Q19
Skip to Q20

15. [KN: show to “Internet households”, i.e., i.e., those respondents who are connected to the
Internet through another service (e.g., DSL, cable modem, Wi-Fi, satellite or a different dial-up
service) AND indicated “Yes” to Q7] Some companies bundle cable or satellite TV and
telephone service into a service plan with a single monthly bill.
Do you pay a single monthly bill for a bundle of services (e.g., “TV and Internet”; “TV and
phone”; “Internet and phone” or “TV, Internet and phone”)? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

Skip to Q24

m

No

Skip to Q22

16. How much do you pay per month for the TV service at your home?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

17. How much do you pay per month for the TV and phone bundle at your home?
$ __________ per month
18. How much do you pay per month for the TV portion of your bundle?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

19. How much do you pay per month for the Internet service at your home?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

20. How much do you pay per month for the Internet and phone bundle at your home?
$ __________ per month

3

21. How much do you pay per month for the Internet portion of your bundle?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

22. How much do you pay per month for the TV service at your home?
$ __________ per month
23. How much do you pay per month for the Internet service at your home?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

24. Please indicate the TV, Internet and telephone services that are combined in your bundled
service plan. For example, if you have a “TV, Internet and phone bundle” you would mark the
bullets in all three rows. Or, if you have an “Internet and phone bundle” you would only mark
the bullets in the bottom two rows. (multiple answers are appropriate)
Bundled Service Plan
Cable or Satellite TV Service
Internet Service
Telephone Service

m
m
m

[KN: use responses to Q24 above to skip to appropriate cost questions below. If response is:
m
m
m
m

TV and phone bundle
TV and Internet bundle
Internet and phone bundle
TV, Internet and phone bundle

Skip to Q28
Skip to Q30
Skip to Q33

25. How much do you pay per month for the TV and phone bundle at your home?
$ __________ per month
26. How much do you pay per month for the TV portion of your bundle?
$ __________ per month
27. How much do you pay per month for the Internet service at your home?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

28. How much do you pay per month for the TV and Internet bundle at your home?
$ __________ per month

4

29. How much do you pay per month for the TV portion of your bundle?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

30. How much do you pay per month for the Internet and phone bundle at your home?
$ __________ per month
31. How much do you pay per month for the Internet portion of your bundle?
$ __________ per month
32. How much do you pay per month for the TV service at your home?
$ __________ per month

Skip to Q36

33. How much do you pay per month for the TV, Internet and phone bundle at your home?
$ __________ per month
34. How much do you pay per month for the TV portion of your bundle?
$ __________ per month
35. How much do you pay per month for the Internet portion of your bundle?
$ __________ per month
36. During the past 12 months, have you made any contributions to public radio stations (e.g.,
NPR) and/or public TV stations (e.g., PBS)? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

Skip to Q38

37. What was the dollar value of your contribution to public radio and/or public TV stations?
$ __________

5

38. [KN: do not show when respondent indicated “No” to Q6 or “No” to Q7; skip past to “Other
Features of Your Media Environment”] Broadcast TV channels are free, over the air if you
have good reception, e.g., ABC or NBC. These are often re-transmitted by the cable or
satellite company, but they are still broadcast channels. Cable and satellite TV channels,
such as CNN, ESPN or HBO, can only be received if you subscribe to a cable or satellite
service.
Which of the following best describes the level of TV subscription you currently receive in
your home? (mark one answer)
m
m
m
m

Basic package, which includes broadcast channels like ABC, and a small number
of cable or satellite channels
Expanded package, which includes broadcast channels, and a larger number of
cable or satellite channels like CNN
Premium package, which includes broadcast channels, cable or satellite channels
and premium pay channels like HBO
Not sure

Features of Your Media Environment
Besides cost, there are some other features that describe the information on news and current
affairs you get from your media environment. They are the . . .
(1) amount of advertising;
(2) diversity of opinion in reporting information;
(3) amount of information on local news and events; and
(4) coverage of ethnic, gender, and other minority related issues.
In the next few questions we will ask you to think about these other features.
[KN: in Q39, Q42, Q45 and Q48 below, only display the media source(s) that respondent uses to
get information on news and current affairs. Use their responses to Q1 (“Yes”) for newspapers,
Q5 (“if number of hours > 0”) for radio, Q8 (“if number of hours > 0”) for TV, and Q9 (“if number
of hours > 0”) or Q11 (“if number of hours > 0”) for the Internet, to show appropriate media
sources.]

6

First, consider the amount of advertising in your media environment. We will categorize this
amount in three levels.
39. With low advertising, the amount of space on a newspaper or web page, or the amount of air
time devoted to commercial advertising on radio or TV, is barely noticeable. With medium
advertising, the space or time devoted to advertising is more noticeable. With high
advertising, the space or time devoted to advertising is very noticeable, to the point of being
annoying when you are viewing or listening to your media source.
Now think about the sources of information you get from your media environment. Is the
advertising barely noticeable (Low), noticeable but not annoying (Medium), or annoying
(High)? (mark one answer in each row). To see the description of an individual media source, place your
cursor over that media source.

Media source

Low
Advertising
m
m
m
m

Newspapers
Radio
TV
Internet

Medium
Advertising
m
m
m
m

High
Advertising
m
m
m
m

[KN: provide hyperlinks to descriptions of the four media sources]
40. Recall that your overall media environment provides you with information on news and
current affairs from all of your media sources: newspapers, radio, TV and the Internet. Your
answers to the previous question [KN: display advertising table (above) with answers on this
page so that respondents can view it when answering this question] indicated that your
overall media environment has a [KN: use our algorithm to assign “low”, “medium” or “high”]
level of advertising. Would you agree that your overall media environment has a [KN: use our
algorithm to assign “low”, “medium” or “high”] level of advertising? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

Skip to Q42

m

No

41. Please indicate your assessment of the level of advertising from your overall media
environment. (mark one answer)
m

Low

m

Medium

m

High

7

Now consider the diversity of opinion in your media environment.
42. A low diversity media environment provides information on news and current affairs from
only one viewpoint. For example, if you have a (print or online) subscription only to the Wall
Street Journal, the level of diversity from newspapers would be low. In a medium diversity
environment the information would come from a few different viewpoints. For example, you
could watch CNN or Fox news for different opinions about a national issue. If so, the level of
diversity from TV would be medium. Alternatively, you could listen to a few radio talk shows
with different opinions about an issue in your community. If so, the level of diversity from
Radio would also be medium. A high diversity environment provides information from many
different viewpoints.
Consider separately the sources of information you get from your media environment.
Please indicate the level of diversity of opinion for each source. (mark one answer in each row)
Media source

Low
Diversity
m
m
m
m

Newspapers
Radio
TV
Internet

Medium
Diversity
m
m
m
m

High
Diversity
m
m
m
m

43. Your answers to the previous question [KN: display diversity table (above) with answers on
the this page so that respondents can view it when answering this question] indicated that
your overall media environment has a [KN: use our algorithm to assign “low”, “medium” or
“high”] level of diversity. Would you agree that your overall media environment has a [KN:
use our algorithm to assign “low”, “medium” or “high”] level of diversity? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

Skip to Q45

m

No

44. Please indicate your assessment of the level of diversity of opinion from your overall media
environment. (mark one answer)
m

Low

m

Medium

m

High

8

Next, consider the amount of information you get from your media environment on local news
and events. We will call this feature localism. Examples of localism are reports on: school
sporting results, local council meetings, city/county elections, neighborhood crime, local heroes
who give their time to the community, or job layoffs at a local factory.
45. A media environment with low localism provides very little or no information on local news
and events. With medium localism, there is some local information, and it reflects some of
the interests of your community. With high localism, the information reflects many of the
issues and interests of your community.
Consider the sources of information from your media environment. Please indicate their
level of localism. (mark one answer in each row)
Media source

Low
Localism
m
m
m
m

Newspapers
Radio
TV
Internet

Medium
Localism
m
m
m
m

High
Localism
m
m
m
m

46. Your answers to the previous question [KN: display localism table (above) with answers on
the this page so that respondents can view it when answering this question] indicated that
your overall media environment has a [KN: use our algorithm to assign “low”, “medium” or
“high”] level of localism. Would you agree that your overall media environment has a [KN:
use our algorithm to assign “low”, “medium” or “high”] level of localism? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

Skip to Q48

m

No

47. Please indicate your assessment of the level of localism from your overall media
environment. (mark one answer)
m

Low

m

Medium

m

High

9

Finally, let’s consider the information you get from your media environment that reflects the
interests of women and minority citizens (e.g., disabled, persons of non-white ethnicity). We will
call this feature multiculturalism. Examples of multiculturalism are reports on: Black History
month, the Cinco de Mayo celebration, female wage inequality, or programs that help people with
disabilities find a job.
48. A media environment with low multiculturalism provides very little or no information that
reflects the interests of women and minority citizens. With medium multiculturalism, the
information reflects some of the interests of women and minority citizens. With high
multiculturalism, the information reflects many of the interests of women and minority
citizens.
Consider the sources of information from your media environment. Please indicate their
level of multiculturalism. (mark one answer in each row)
Media source

Low
Multiculturalism
m
m
m
m

Newspapers
Radio
TV
Internet

Medium
Multiculturalism
m
m
m
m

High
Multiculturalism
m
m
m
m

49. Your answers to the previous question [KN: display multiculturalism table (above) with
answers on the this page so that respondents can view it when answering this question]
indicated that your overall media environment has a [KN: use our algorithm to assign “low”,
“medium” or “high”] level of multiculturalism. Would you agree that your overall media
environment has a [KN: use our algorithm to assign “low”, “medium” or “high”] level of
multiculturalism? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

Skip to [KN “Table 2 display”]

m

No

50. Please indicate your assessment of the level of multiculturalism from your overall media
environment. (mark one answer)
m

Low

m

Medium

m

High

10

[KN “Table 2 display”: print this statement, and display Table 2, on next screen. If the levels from
our algorithm and the respondent’s assessment differ by one level then display the respondent’s
assessment. If the levels from our algorithm and the respondent’s assessment differ by two
levels then split the difference] In summary, your answers have indicated that your overall media
environment has the following five features.
Table 2. Your actual media environment
Feature
Cost

Level

Description

The sum of your monthly subscriptions to your [KN: insert
$75 per month appropriate media sources] cable TV service, and the Internet, as
well as your contributions to public stations.
High

The amount of space on a newspaper or web page, or the amount of
time devoted to advertising on radio or TV, is [KN: insert appropriate
description to match “high”] annoying.

Diversity

Medium

Provides information on news and current affairs from [KN: insert
appropriate description to match “medium”] a few different journalistic
viewpoints.

Localism

Low

Provides [KN: insert appropriate description to match “low”] very little
or no information on local news and events.

Multiculturalism

Low

Provides [KN: insert appropriate description to match “low”] very little
or no information that reflects the interests of women and minority
citizens.

Advertising

51. Think again about your current media environment (i.e., all media sources together). On a
scale from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating “Not Satisfied” and 5 indicating “Very Satisfied”, how
satisfied are you with each feature? Also, how satisfied are you with your overall media
environment? (mark one answer in each row)
Feature of
media environment
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism
Overall media environment

1.
Not
Satisfied
m
m
m
m
m
m

2.

3.

4.

m
m
m
m
m
m

m
m
m
m
m
m

m
m
m
m
m
m

5.
Very
Satisfied
m
m
m
m
m
m

11

Media Environment Choices
In a series of choice questions to follow, we will ask you to choose between two media
environment options, labeled A and B. Each option is described by different levels of the five
features: cost, advertising, diversity, localism and multiculturalism.
For your convenience, Table 3 below summarizes the levels of the five features. To see the
description of an individual feature, place your cursor over that feature. You can also review what a level of a
feature means.

Table 3. Features of Overall Media Environment
Feature
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

Levels
$0 to $290 per month
[Don & Scott to construct levels]
Low advertising
Medium advertising
High advertising
Low diversity
Medium diversity
High diversity
Low localism
Medium localism
High localism
Low multiculturalism
Medium multiculturalism
High multiculturalism

[KN: provide hyperlinks to descriptions of the five features in Table 3, and links to the levels
of those features]

12

[KN /Poom: insert bubbles highlighting differences, as in the hurricane survey (HFIP)]
52. Consider the following two media environment options, A and B. For this first question, we
highlight the differences in the levels of the five features in red. For some of these five
features, there may be no difference. Check the media environment option you would prefer.
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over that feature
Option A

Option B

$25 per month

$45 per month

Advertising

High

Medium

Diversity

Low

Medium

Localism

Medium

Low

Low

Low

Option A is less expensive and has more
information on local news and events

Option B has less advertising and more
diversity of opinion

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Cost

Multiculturalism

53. Since you currently have a media environment at home, we also ask if you would actually
switch to the media environment, A or B, you have chosen. Please indicate “Yes” when your
choice of A or B is preferred to your actual media environment, or “No” when your choice of
A or B is not preferred to your actual media environment.
Consider the features of your actual media environment. Would you switch to the option
(A or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes I would switch

m

No, I would stay with what I have

[An example of the online choice box for this follow up question, Q53, is presented below. Note
that the levels of the features for “Your media environment” are obtained from Table 2.]
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over that feature.
Your media environment

Option B

$75 per month

$45 per month

High

Medium

Diversity

Medium

Medium

Localism

Low

Low

Multiculturalism

Low

Low

I would stay with my media environment

I prefer option B

Cost
Advertising

Select the option you prefer

13

54. Suppose that you now had a choice between the two media environment options described
below. Compare the five features for A and B and check the option you would prefer. (even if
you do not view either A or B as ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
[KN: For the next eight A-B choice questions, randomly assign one of the 8-question choice
sets from the experimental design].
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

55. Consider the features of your overall media environment. Would you switch to the option (A
or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

14

56. Please disregard your previous choices. Compare the five features of the media environment
options A and B described below and check the option you would prefer. (even if you do not
view either A or B as ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

57. Consider the features of your overall media environment. Would you switch to the option (A
or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

15

58. Consider the following two media environment options, A and B. Compare the five features
for A and B and check the option you would prefer. (even if you do not view either A or B as
ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

59. Now consider the features of your overall media environment. Would you switch to the option
(A or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

16

60. Suppose that you now had a choice between the two media environment options described
below. Compare the five features for A and B and check the option you would prefer. (even if
you do not view either A or B as ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

61. Consider the features of your overall media environment. Would you switch to the option (A
or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

17

62. Please disregard your previous choices. Compare the five features of the two media
environment options described below and check the option you would prefer. (even if you do
not view either A or B as ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

63. Consider the features of your overall media environment. Would you switch to the option (A
or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

18

64. Consider the following two media environment options, A and B. Compare the five features
for A and B and check the option you would prefer. (even if you do not view either A or B as
ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

65. Now consider the features of your overall media environment. Would you switch to the option
(A or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

19

66. Suppose that you now had a choice between the two media environment options described
below. Compare the five features for A and B and check the option you would prefer. (even if
you do not view either A or B as ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

67. Consider the features of your overall media environment at home. Would you switch to the
option (A or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

20

68. Please disregard your previous choices. Compare the five features of media environment
options A and B described below and check the option you would prefer. (even if you do not
view either A or B as ideal, tell us which you would most prefer)
Click here to review a summary of the levels of all the features.
To see the description of an individual feature, place your cursor over the feature.
Option A
Option B
Cost
Advertising
Diversity
Localism
Multiculturalism

•

•

I prefer option A

I prefer option B

Check þ for the
option you prefer

69. Consider the features of your overall media environment at home. Would you switch to the
option (A or B) you chose above? (mark one answer)
m

Yes

m

No

21

70. [KN: Two random assignments. (1) Randomly assign payment card question from payment
card set across all respondents. (2) Randomly assign “certainty of choice question” to half of
the respondents]. Suppose a media environment was available to you with the following
features.
Media Environment
Advertising

Low

Diversity

Low

Localism

Medium

Multiculturalism

High

Circle (or write in) the maximum amount per month that you would be willing to pay for such a
media environment:
$0
$ 60
$ 120
$ 180
$ 240
Other amount

$ 10
$ 20
$ 70
$ 80
$ 130
$ 140
$ 190
$ 200
$ 250
$ 260
$____ per month

$ 30
$ 90
$ 150
$ 210
$ 270

$ 40
$ 100
$ 160
$ 220
$ 280

$ 50
$ 110
$ 170
$ 230
$ 290

Thank you for completing this survey. If you have any comments, please write them here:
[KN: a box for written comments]

22