A US survey of newsmedia readers has found most think someone else should pay for it.

And in a rare agreement among those polled, that “someone else” should probably be advertisers.

The poll – by Gallup and the Knight Foundation – found almost half of those who had paid for news came from the US$150,000-plus-a-year salary bracket… but those were also the biggest group to support the idea that news should be funded by donations.

The sample of higher-earners also included those who had donated or paid a subscription to a news organisation, or had bought a physical copy.

A large proportion also objected to the idea of those who paid for news getting preferential treatment.

Most of those who had paid for news had done so through a subscription, though some respondents appeared confused about how they had done so.

The report says there is “a strong correlation” between those who hold favourable opinions of the media and those who believe news
organisations balance public service and financial interests well. Americans with more favourable opinions of the news media are also more likely to have paid for news and consider doing so in the future.

“The tension between these roles is essential to understanding Americans’ attitudes about the news and tangibly important in assessing their willingness to pay for it.”

Some 5,593 American adults were polled, with some results split by age, race and political inclination. See the report here.