Keen newspaper readers tend to have a more positive outlook, a recent survey published by the Korea Press Foundation last week suggests. Pollster Hankook Research surveyed 1,832 people between 19 and 64 in Seoul, five other metropolitan cities and Gyeonggi Province from Nov. 1 to Dec. 6 last year.

According to the survey, 52.1 percent of people who get news from papers think the future of Korea is bright, compared to only 40 percent of those who prefer TV and the Internet.

Some 59.1 percent of newspaper readers believe that more efforts yields better results. They prefer political or social news and like to share news they have read with others.

Internet users have a more negative view of society. Some 74.9 percent of Internet users think the income gap is a serious problem, and 59.1 percent believe rich people do not care about the poor.

Oh Soo-jung of the press foundation said, "Considering that many Internet users are in their 20s, the survey seems to reflect the younger generation's negative view of society."