1. Metro readers are older than you may think
| Age | Metro
Readers
% | General
Public
% |
|---|
| Under 18 | 0.8 | 25.0 |
| 18-24 | 15.3 | 12.0 |
| 25-34 | 32.8 | 20.0 |
| 35-44 | 22.8 | 23.0 |
| 45-54 | 18.9 | N/A |
| 55-64 | 6.7 | N/A |
| 65+ | 2.8 | N/A |
|
| 18-34 | 48.1 | N/A |
| 18-49 | 81.9 | N/A |
| 25-54 | 74.4 | N/A |
|
| Over 45 | 28.4 | N/A |
| Median Age | 35.44 | 32.3 |
2. Metro readers are, for the most part, professionals
| Occupation | Metro
Readers
% | National
Average
% |
|---|
Professional/Managerial/
Technical | 56.9 | 26.8 |
| Education |
|---|
| Attended College | 84.1 | 43.4 |
| Attended Graduate School | 28.4 | N/A |
| Marital Status |
|---|
| Married | 34.4 | 59.0 |
| Single | 65.6 | 41.5 |
| Have Children under 18 | 22.7 | N/A |
Metro Readers
Get Out of Town
| Metro
Readers
% | National
Average
% |
|---|
Domestic flights
in last 12 months | 64.4 | 20.1 |
Domestic hotel
stays in last 12 months | 76.2 | 43.0 |
Foreign trips
in the last 3 years | 53.0 | 16.8 |
| Enrolled Frequent Flyer | 43.1 | N/A |
| Car Rental in last 12 mos | 49.2 | 12.4 |
Local travel by Metro Readers
in last 12 months |
|---|
| San Francisco | 84.0 | |
| Santa Cruz | 79.8 | |
| Montrey | 57.2 | |
| Tahoe | 42.0 | |
| Napa/Sonoma | 32.9 | |
Items owned
by household | Metro
Readers
% | National
Average
%
| Bicycle | 47.8 | 17.3 |
| Personal Computer | 41.4 | 22.7 |
| Car Stereo | 41.7 | N/A |
| Cable Subsc. | 40.1 | 55.9 |
| Health Member | 28.2 | N/A |
| Video | 20.4 | 16.7 |
| Fax Machine | 10.5 | 3.0 |
| Microwave | 56.4 | 74.3 |
|
3. Metro readers have money
| Household Income |
Metro
Readers
%
| General
Public
% |
| under $20,000 | 11.3 | 14.0 |
| $20,000-34,999 | 11.9 | 17.0 |
| $35,000-49,999 | 19.0 | 19.0 |
| $50,000 plus | 62.0 | 50.0 |
| $50,000-74,999 | 26.1 | N/A |
| $75,000 plus | 35.9 | N/A |
| Median Income | $63,130 | $50,295 |
| Average Income | $61,160 | $58,110 |
Acquisitions by household
in last 12 months | Metro
Readers
% |
| CD Player | 43.9 |
| Bicycle | 38.4 |
| Car Stereo | 36.7 |
| Personal Computer | 33.7 |
| Cable TV | 32.3 |
| Microwave Oven | 30.4 |
| Health Club Membership | 27.6 |
| Window Shades/Blinds | 26.0 |
| Cellular Phone | 18.8 |
| Video Camera | 15.5 |
| Sofabed/Convertible | 14.1 |
| Wall Units/Systems | 10.5 |
| Fax Machine | 9.1 |
| Digital Audio Tape Player | 6.1 |
| Power Boat | 1.1 |
Those high annual income figures make Metro readers eligible for credit, and they use it. A whopping 70.2 percent have Visa cards, 51.4 percent hold Master Card and 21.8 percent carry American Express/Optima.
Metro readers read the advertising:
Two-thirds have referred to a Metro ad in the past week, and 98.8 percent say they read the ads. In addition, 66.4 percent of readers said they read the classified
advertising section.
4. Metro readers are big spenders
| Items purchased in last 12 months | Metro
Readers
% | National
Average
% |
| CD's | 61 .3 | 20.7 |
| Books | 83.9 | 49.1 |
| Hardcover | 58.8 | 27.0 |
| Paperback | 75.4 | 43.7 |
| Eyeglasses or Contacts | 47.0 | 23.0 |
| Blank Audio Cassettes | 50.6 | 18.2 |
| Pre-recorded Cassettes | 40.3 | 23.9 |
| Pre-recorded Videos | 33.7 | 28.9 |
5. Metro readers go to town
Survey response showed that 85 percent of Metro readers pick up the paper for its cultural, entertainment and events listings. Movies, live music and dining out are high on their priority list. During the past twelve months, they've attended all of these events.
| Arts | Readers attend
last 12 months
% | National
Average
% |
| Art Gallery | 59.0 | N/A |
| Museum | 56.0 | 15.3 |
| Dance Performance | 7.0 | 3.8 |
| Live Theater | 46.0 | 12.4 |
| Entertainment | | |
| Movies | 82.0 | N/A |
| Classical Concert | 28.0 | 4.5 |
Concert Rock,
Pop or Other | 55.0 | 7.9 |
| Comedy | 33.0 | 5.7 |
| Bar w/Live Music | .65.0 | N/A |
| Bar/Restaurant with alcohol | 63.0 | N/A |
Restaurants
attended in the last 7 days
| Metro
Readers
% |
| Where most entrees cost over $10 | 52.8 |
| Where most entrees cost under $10 | 80.9 |
| Activities | Metro
Readers
% | National
Average
% |
| Dancing | 47.5 | 15.2 |
| Cooking for Fun | 47.0 | 26.2 |
Hiking,Camping
or Backpacking | 46.4 | 14.6 |
| Bicycling | 39.5 | 31.6 |
| Gardening | 34.3 | 31.6 |
| Photography | 31.2 | 9.7 |
| Billiards/Pool | 26.8 | 12.1 |
| Adult Ed Classes | 26.2 | 6.9 |
| Antique Shopping | 24.9 | 9.3 |
| Jogging/Running | 19.1 | 10.4 |
6. Metro readers are Media snobs
If you hope to reach Metro readers using other media sources, you may have difficulty. More than half of Metro's readers - 52.8 percent - do not subscribe to the Mercury News. Of those that do subscribe, 47 percent say they read it three times or less per week.
When asked to name the radio stations listened to most often, no station was selected by more than 11 % of Metro readers; most stations were favored by less than 5%. In other words, Metro's audience is fragmented among the area's many radio stations.
Of the top six stations named, three are San Francisco-based (KITS, KQED and KGO) and KQED is non-commercial.
Metro readers read their paper:
79.6 percent read at least three of the last four issues.
81.2 percent picked up the most recent issue two or more times.
Average Individual Annual Income for Santa Clara County $5I,972
Note: National averages were provided by Simmons. General public figures are for Santa Clara County.
Sources: Simmons Market Research Bureau; 1994 Santa Clara County Office of Budget and Analysis, Advance Planning Office, I992; Pine Company Market Research, April I989.
