Youth News Perceptions and Behaviors Online: How Youth Access and Share Information in a Chicago Community Affected by Gang Violence

Abstract

Informed by our own research and practice, the brief aims to discuss how youth define news, where they get their news from, what role social media plays in their news-seeking behavior, and why they might prefer one medium over another, depending on the context. The brief includes insights and quotes gathered through a series of in-person focus group interviews (which included a questionnaire), putting our findings in dialogue with existing literature as well as data gathered by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Six focus group interviews with 47 youth in Chicago were conducted by the Youth and Media team. The sample was primarily composed of African-American (50%) and Latino (43.5%) youth, ranging in age from 14 to 19, with a mean age of 15.74 (SD=1.29). The sample was comprised of 14 males (29.8%) and 33 females (70.2%). Most participants came from communities located on the West and South sides of Chicago, and although we did not have reliable data on their socio-economic status, it is highly likely that most participants live in low-income communities. Because our sample had very specific demographic characteristics, it is improbable that this sample can be considered representative of all Chicago youth.