Abstract:
Newspaper is one of the most popular and reliable media of information among students. Newspaper reading
is an intellectual activity for students of all ages as it enhances knowledge and information of the readers.
This study investigates the determinants of newspaper readership among Olabisi Onabanjo University
students; the frequency of their readership, the type of stories they mostly read and how they obtain the
newspapers they read. The study uses quantitative research technique. It adopts a sample size of 387
students, drawn from three Faculties in the University; Social and Management Sciences, Arts and Law
using the Taro Yamane formula for determining sample size. The study is anchored on the Uses and
Gratification theory and media dependency theory. The paper employs the simple percentage method and
frequency tables as analytical tools. Findings show that newspapers are important sources of information
for Olabisi Onabanjo University students. Findings further reveal that majority of the students do not read
newspapers and those who read sometimes do so for general information and awareness about socio political and educational events. The students access newspapers online because it saves time and cost. The
paper concludes that most students in Olabisi Onabanjo University do not buy newspapers they read and
that they read newspapers for education, information and entertainment. Therefore, the paper recommends
that the University Library should provide both online and offline newspapers to encourage more students
to read newspapers; newspaper readership programs should be designed in the universities and all
concerned parties should ensure its implementation. Further research should also be carried out on the
dispositions of newspaper readership of Olabisi Onabanjo University community at large.
