NMICS 2010 Report - Central Bureau of Statistics

XII. Access to Mass Media and Use of Information/CommunicationTechnologyNMICS 2010 collected information from women on their exposure to mass media (newspapers, radioand television) and their use of computers and the internet. This information will contribute tounderstanding on how women use common channels of communication.Access to mass mediaTable MT.1 provides information on the proportion of women aged 15–49 years in the MFWR whoread a newspaper, listen to the radio, and watch television at least once a week. Only five percent ofwomen were exposed to all three types of media at least once a week. Some eight percent read anewspaper at least once a week, 49 percent listened to the radio at least once a week, and 29percent watched television at least once a week. In addition, 41 percent did not have exposure toany of the three media at least once a week.Although the radio was generally the most common channel for communication, women in urbanareas and women in the richest quintile were more likely than other women to watch television thanlisten to the radio. Women in the Mid-Western Mountains (19 percent), women with no education(38 percent) and women in the poorest quintile (24 percent) had noticeably lower exposure to theradio than their counterparts in other background categories. Women in the Mid-WesternMountains (seven percent), women in the Far Western Mountains (five percent), and women in thepoorest (one percent) and second quintile (four percent) had much lower exposure to televisionthan their counterparts in other background categories. Women in the Mid-Western Terai (49percent), women in urban areas (71 percent), women with at least secondary education (50percent), and women in the richest quintile (80 percent) had much higher exposure to televisionthan their counterparts in other background categories. Women in the Mid-Western Terai (13percent), women in urban areas (22 percent), women aged 15–19 years (16 percent), women with atleast secondary education (23 percent), and women in the richest quintile (23 percent) had muchhigher exposure to newspapers than their counterparts in other background categories. Women inthe Far Western Region (47 percent), women in the Mid-Western Mountains (78 percent), women inrural areas (44 percent), women aged 40–44 years (49 percent), women with no education (54percent) and women from the poorest quintile (76 percent) were more likely than their counterpartsto have no weekly exposure to any of the three forms of media.Exposure to all three forms of media at least once a week was higher for women in the Mid-WesternRegion (seven percent) than for those in the Far Western Region (four percent). The highestpercentage was in the Mid-Western Terai (10 percent) and the lowest was in the Mid-WesternMountains (0.4 percent). Urban women (18 percent) were more likely than rural women (fourpercent) to be exposed weekly to all three media. Younger women were more likely than olderwomen to be exposed weekly to all three media: 10 percent of women aged 15–19 years wereexposed compared to one percent of women aged 45–49 years. Education level and householdwealth status influenced the likelihood of being exposed to all three forms of media at least once aweek. Women with no education (0.1 percent) were much less likely than women with at leastsecondary education (16 percent), and women in the poorest quintile (0.2 percent) were much lesslikely than those in the riches quintile (18 percent) to be exposed.179