Perceived individual and societal values of news and paying for subscriptions

This study examines antecedents of paying for news subscriptions. Taking the customer-perceived value approach, we investigate the impact of perceived quality and perceived journalistic and societal value of news. News habit strength, different motivations for news use, and entertainment spending were also examined for their value in predicting how much people report paying for news. Results of a national survey (N = 403) show that perceived quality of news, habit strength, motivation of social–cultural interactions, and entertainment spending are positively predictive of how much people pay, after demographic controls. These findings not only suggest practical implications for news organizations seeking to increase subscriber support but also raise critical questions about how Americans’ relationships with newspaper news is degrading.