Roots is South Africa’s longest running and most comprehensive independent local consumer research survey, conducted at community level, surveying the behaviour of economically active South Africans.
In 2025 it measured, among others, women’s media engagement, including print, TV, radio, social media, Google, YouTube and podcasts.
It found that SA women were well informed, and followed local and international media to keep abreast of daily news. Only 0.9% of women surveyed said they didn’t catch up on the news at all.
A total of 67% of female respondents accessed news via their local newspaper or local news site. Although marketers often assume these are older women, the survey showed that 65% of women aged 18-24 read their local papers and news sites, and 58% of females aged 18-24 read national and international news (daily/weekly newspapers or national/international and business news sites).
Women usually accessed online news via social platforms (69%) – more so than men (61%). Younger woman aged 18-24 were far more likely to access this type of news via their social media platforms (68%), highlighting the importance of local newspapers’ social media pages in keeping female users up to date.
Where print really came into its own was in the advertising department. Almost three-quarters (74%) of those surveyed said they engaged with advertising inserts in their local newspaper. Once again, it wasn’t just older women interacting with print – 72% of women aged 18-35 engaged with inserts in their local paper.
More than 80% of women respondents said they preferred printed ad inserts delivered inside their paper as opposed to loose inserts delivered directly to their homes. In addition, 64% of women noted that they actively used their local paper to inform their shopping. This was significantly higher than any other media type (64% compared to TV at 51% and social media at 49%). All other media ranked lower than 31%.
Women were also more receptive to advertising in printed media and on their local news sites, and found this less annoying than advertising on other media platforms.
Only 4.4% and 4.6% of women found local news website and local paper advertising annoying, for instance, compared to the 21%, 23% and 26% who were irritated by sms/WhatsApp and email ads, streaming ads and YouTube adverts respectively.
Lynne Krog, head of research at Spark Media, says these insights reveal how women are using newspapers, and blending this with digital platforms, to stay informed, shop smart and engage with their communities.
“These findings highlight exactly how women are engaging with news as well as advertising and shopping catalogues or pamphlets, painting a picture of a highly engaged and informed multi-platform audience. Retail marketers have a golden opportunity to use print, especially printed inserts within local papers, to connect with female shoppers, increase sales and foster brand loyalty,” Krog explains.
Roots 8.1 was commissioned by Spark Media, undertaken by India-based Borderless Access and published by Caxton Media. It surveyed 25 000 adults aged 18+ representing 10.8 million adults and 4.5 million households in 107 communities. Interviews were conducted via an online panel with supplementary face-to-face interviews in communities where digital connection was limited.
