Segments of the Public Most Critical of Newspapers' Credibility: A Psychographic Analysis

Psychographic concepts were developed of attitudes toward media responsibility, news involvement and social alienation to learn more about two groups within the public who are the most critical of newspapers. One group, termed “sophisticated skeptics,” may be of special interest to newspapers because of its high interest in news and newspapers but potentially low loyalty to specific newspapers. This group is the most vocal and active of the two, and members are likely to hold a world view very different from that of many newspaper journalists. This difference may contribute to lack of trust in newspapers.