Essential Report
Download this weeks Report
Media usage
Q. How frequently do you read, listen to or watch the following?
Daily | Several times a week | About once a week | Less often | Never | Don’t know | |
Commercial TV news and current affairs | 48% | 27% | 12% | 8% | 5% | 1% |
News and opinion in daily newspapers | 26% | 22% | 24% | 16% | 11% | 1% |
Commercial radio news and current affairs | 24% | 22% | 13% | 20% | 19% | 1% |
News and opinion websites | 23% | 22% | 17% | 19% | 17% | 2% |
ABC TV news and current affairs | 19% | 21% | 18% | 23% | 18% | 1% |
ABC radio news and current affairs | 15% | 13% | 10% | 28% | 33% | 2% |
Commercial radio talkback programs | 13% | 12% | 12% | 26% | 36% | 1% |
ABC radio talkback programs | 8% | 10% | 10% | 26% | 45% | 2% |
Internet blogs | 6% | 9% | 13% | 29% | 41% | 3% |
Commercial TV news and current affairs was the most used news and opinion media (48% watch daily). 26% read newspapers daily, 24% commercial radio news and current affairs and 23% news and opinion websites.
Newspapers tend to be read more by older people (38% of 65+ years read daily). 65% of those aged 55+ watch commercial TV news and current affairs daily. Internet news and opinion websites have similar patterns of usage across age groups but internet bogs are mostly used by those aged under 35 (10% daily)

COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
Download this week's ReportEssential Report
Two Party Preferred:
Labor
47%
Coalition
44%
In this week's report:
- Performance of Scott Morrison
- Performance of Anthony Albanese
- Preferred Prime Minister
- Federal government response to Covid-19
- State government response to Covid-19
- Better leadership during Covid-19 – PM vs state leader
- Attitudes towards Craig Kelly controversy and Scott Morrison’s leadership
- Views towards federal vs state government responsibility to manage Covid-19 hotel quarantine system
Essential Tags
2PP
Abbott
ALP
Approval of opposition leader
Approval of Tony Abbott
asylum seekers
Australian economy
Bill Shorten
budget
Carbon Tax
climate change
coronavirus
covid-19
economy
Education
Election
EMC
environment
ER
Essential Media
Essential Report
Federal Budget
Federal Government
federal politics
federal politics voting intention
Gillard
Greens
Julia Gillard
kevin rudd
Labor
Labor Party
leadership
Liberal
Liberal Party
Liberals
mining
Nationals
peter lewis
Polling
polls
Prime Minister
tony abbott
two party preferred
voting
Voting intention
Recent Comments
