The given line graph compares the proportion of news consumers in the USA who accessed news through four different sources—TV, social media, websites, and print media—over a four-year period from 2012 to 2015. Overall, it is clear that TV and websites remained the most popular sources of news throughout the period, while the use of print media experienced a noticeable decline. In contrast, social media showed a steady increase in usage and eventually surpassed print by 2015.
In 2012, the percentages of both TV and website users were already high, at approximately 78% and 74% respectively. These figures remained relatively stable over the years with minor fluctuations. By 2015, TV usage had slightly increased to around 80%, while website use hovered just below that level.
Social media showed a consistent upward trend, starting at just 20% in 2012. It grew steadily each year and overtook print media around 2014. By 2015, nearly 40% of consumers used social media to access news, making it the third most popular source. In contrast, print media began at around 40% in 2012, peaked slightly in 2013, and then declined significantly, falling to just over 20% by 2015.
It is evident that print media consistently remained the least used sources of news consumption over the given period.