As news organizations face accelerated loss in advertising revenue, increasing importance is placed on strategies to increase subscription sales. Although previous studies have found several predictors of paywall, willingness to pay, and paying for news research, these factors did not fit into one clear conceptual framework that links them together. In this dissertation, I aim to introduce a new construct, News Subscription Motivation, that provides theoretical linkages between different predictors of paying for news. Mixed method research was employed to conceptualize and operationalize this new construct. In Chapter 1, I discuss my thought process developing this study, the purpose of the study, and why this topic matters in the context of digital economy. Chapter 2 includes a review of previous research on what drives people to pay for news, and the literature on consumer decision-making processes, consumer decision-making styles, and consumer motivation in general. The need to develop a new construct and measurement tools that are specially designed for news consumption was also addressed. In Chapter 3, I conducted 22 in-depth interviews to generate possible dimensions of the construct, analyzed the qualitative data to propose a conceptual framework and definition. Study 1 results suggested nine possible dimensions: content utility, journalism quality, price, convenience, hitting the paywall, surveillance, being a good citizen, brand reputation, and journalism. Conceptual definitions of each dimension were also elaborated. Chapter 4 focuses on the operationalization of News Subscription Motivation. An initial items pool was generated based on Study 1. After the pilot test, I recruited two independent samples, and they were respectively subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The final scale included six dimensions with 19 items, and this scale demonstrated robust model fit and adequate convergent and discriminant validity. Six dimensions of News Subscription Motivation were identified: supporting journalism, journalism quality, triggered by the paywall, community attachment, price, and content utility. In Chapter 5, I aim to establish the nomological validity of News Subscription Motivation. Factors extracted from Chapter 4 demonstrated statistically significant relationships with numbers of news subscription people report paying for, types of subscriptions people get, and individuals' intention to maintain their primary subscriptions in the next 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Finally, I discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the scale of News Subscription Motivation in Chapter 6.
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