Data from Public Policy Polling's latest survey reveals that 56 percent of North Carolina voters prefer to get their news from television networks, as opposed to newspapers or online news sources.

That figure is highest among voters ages 18-29, with 65 percent reporting that they prefer broadcast news over print (20 percent) or online (15 percent) news sources.

Among voters 65 and older, 49 percent prefer TV news, 45 percent prefer newspapers, and only 6 percent prefer online news.

When comparing broadcast networks, cable news networks, and local TV news, PPP found that a plurality of respondents (42 percent) prefer cable news networks like CNN, FOX News or MSNBC over other outlets. Only 23 percent said they like to get news from broadcast networks ABC, CBS or NBC; 34 percent said they prefer their local TV news channel.

In contrast, an overwhelming majority, 87 percent, reported preferring their local newspapers over a national paper like the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times.

"Television is pervasive, and national news networks are as available as local networks, but the same cannot be said about newspapers." said Katherine Rumbaugh, PPP Spring Fellow. "The New York Times is readily available to far fewer people than any local North Carolina paper. It makes sense that voters would prefer what they have access to."

Though only 12 percent of respondents prefer online sources for their news, 43 percent of voters said they read websites affiliated with newspapers over other online news sources - which is a good sign for newspapers dealing with declining readership and ad sales in their print editions.

Only 6 percent of respondents said blogs are their preferred sources for news. PPP surveyed 502 North Carolina voters from March 16th to 18th. The survey's margin of error is +/-4.37%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

See Complete Poll Results