MUMBAI: Television is the leading source of news in the US. According to the Pew Research Centre’s bi-annual survey on news consumption habits, fewer Americans are reading newspapers.

As per the survey, younger people tend to get more of their news on the Internet, while older folks use traditional media such as television and newspapers.

Forty-six per cent of those polled — had a "heavy reliance" on television for their news at all times of the day. This group is the oldest, with a median age of 52, and least affluent, with 43 percent unemployed. They are unlikely to own a computer or go online for news.

Overall, among those who get some of their news on TV, less watch the 6:30 broadcast network newscasts, and instead opt for cable news sources such as CNN or Fox News Channel. Majority of CNN's audience consists of Democrats -- while 39 percent of Fox News viewers are Republicans, 33 percent Democrats.

The group that relies most on the Internet for news is the youngest at a median age of 35. It is also the smallest, at 13 percent of those polled. Fewer than half of them watch television news on a regular basis.

As per the survey, consumers of online news tend to be more educated than those who get their news from traditional sources, with 44 percent of college graduates say that they read news online every day. Just 11 percent of those who topped out with a high school education go online for news.

The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. It polled 3,615 adults 18 years or older by telephone between 30 April and 1 June.