Rates of turnout of Bahraini youth on reading printed press and its relationship to demographic variables (A field study)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the rates and levels of readership among Bahraini youth of local and non-Bahraini newspapers as regards educational background and demographic distribution. A random sample of Bahraini youth aged between sixteen to thirty years of age (15-30) was selected from the five municipalities (the Capital, the Northern, Middle, Muharraq, and the Southern Municipality). Results showed that statistically relevant correlations were found to exist between the male gender within the sample and the high level of readership of Bahraini local newspapers; additionally, married couples tended to have a higher readership rate than others within the sample. On the other hand, both educational background and demographic distribution of the population within municipalities were not observed to create marked differences in the rates of readership. It was also found that relationship rates among young adults, typically the group between sixteen to twenty years of age (16-20) were the lowest among the age group studied (only 4,1%). Results also revealed a higher rate of readership of Bahraini newspapers as against non-Bahraini ones, spanning 44% of the sample. Moreover, employees were found to have higher readership rates than others; educational backgrounds did not make any relevant statistical differences.