Newspapers across the Newsquest group are conducting surveys of their readers to find out how best to tailor the product to their tastes.

The survey, running at 21 Newsquest centres nationwide, is a follow on from last year’s Generation X focus group, which looked at the opinions of 18 to 30-year-olds.

It is being labelled Generation X Plus and will quiz readers aged between 30 and 55.

They will be asked about daily, weekly and free newspapers produced by the group.

Paul Wojciak, from the Swindon Evening Advertiser, said: “Generation X Plus is geared up to find what readers like about newspapers, what they don’t like – and most importantly, what newspaper publishers need to do to make their newspapers utterly and comprehensively useful to the readers.

“It will be our readers chance to have a say as to what goes into their local paper.”

Readers who volunteer will be sent a short questionnaire in the post to ask their opinions on a variety of subjects related to the regional press.

There will also be focus group meetings where views can be put to editors and senior journalists face-to-face.

The results of the exercise are expected to be discussed at the Newsquest editors’ conference in June.

Areas covered in the Generation X project in 2000 included layout, sports coverage and the leisure sections.