SINGAPORE - The Straits Times has retained its top spot as the most-read English title in Singapore, with print and digital readership combined at 29 per cent reach on an average daily basis, according to the latest Nielsen report on Singapore media.

The Singapore Media Index Report was conducted by the market survey company between July 2015 and June 2016 and surveyed 4,660 of the Singapore population aged 15 and above.

The survey showed the combined readership of print and online newspapers reached close to six in 10 adults (58.2 per cent) in Singapore.

Printed newspapers continued to be the staple read for one in two adults (50.7 per cent), while digital newspapers were read by 14.9 per cent of the local readers on an average daily basis.

The Straits Times was the most-read English title with the print edition being read by 22 per cent of Singapore adults, and its digital version scoring 10.4 per cent readership.

The paper was primarily read by higher income groups, with three-quarters (74.7 per cent) of its readers registering a monthly household income of $5,000 and above. Forty-eight per cent of its readers were professionals, managers, executives and businessmen (PMEB).

The New Paper remained the local paper with the highest proportion of its readers aged 15 to 29 years old (25.8 per cent).

Lianhe ZaoBao was Singapore's top Chinese-language paper and had a combined daily readership of 14.1 per cent among the Chinese. The printed copy obtained a reach of 12.7 per cent and the digital edition 2.1 per cent.

Free sheet Today had a combined average daily readership of 12.9 per cent, with its print edition reaching 11.4 per cent and the digital version 1.8 per cent on an average daily basis. About three in four readers (73.9%) had a monthly household income of S$5,000 and above. Forty-five per cent of its readers comprised of PMEBs.

The report also said Internet usage continued to grow, hitting a daily usage of 80.8 per cent and a monthly usage of 83.3 per cent.

The increased usage came mainly from instant messaging, watching movies/TV/videos and news or e-newspapers access.

Accessing the Internet monthly was prevalent in almost all people aged 15-44 years old (98.9 per cent). For those aged 45 and above, there was also a growth with more than six in 10 (64.3 per cent) adults going online in the past month.

More than seven in 10 (76.4 per cent) adults accessed online news or watched movies/TV/videos monthly. On a weekly basis, close to four in 10 (39.7 per cent) adults accessed local online news or watched movies/TV/videos. At the same time, over nine in 10 (91.7 per cent) adults read local print newspapers or watched local television broadcasts every week.

Ms Annette Kunst, managing director, media, Nielsen Singapore, said: "In spite of the increased Internet penetration in Singapore and the availability of a wide potpourri of online content globally, home-grown news and entertainment content remain a fundamental source of information to the Singapore audience as they provide a local perspective and flavour."