Ninety-two percent of people consider newspapers to be a "necessary" or "somewhat necessary" source of information and knowledge, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they "greatly trusted" or "moderately trusted" reports carried by newspapers, the survey said.
Although more people are turning to the Internet for news and information, the vast majority of respondents highly appreciated the role that newspapers have played in providing information, the survey found.
The Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed 3,000 people across the country on Oct. 6 and 7, and obtained valid answers from 1,812 people. The survey, whose findings were released Saturday, has been conducted annually in accordance with Newspaper Week, which this year runs from Oct. 15 to 21.
According to the survey, 73 percent of respondents felt that newspapers pay proper attention to protecting human rights and people's privacy.
Only 46 percent of respondents said they appreciated TV stations' efforts to protect people's rights in their news reports.
When asked about the educational value of newspapers in schools, 63 percent of respondents said children would become interested in affairs in society, 51 percent said students would become familiar with printed stories, and 45 percent said children would develop the habit of reading and watching news.
