Media Viewing Habits Survey Report (Class)

Media Viewing Habits Survey Report (12/8/11)

Elizabeth Hedin, Idris Kamara, Heather Keelon, Sarah Komperud,

Alfonso Sintjago, Maren Stoddard, Sarah Walker.

Introduction of Issues and Survey Development

In the non-stop world of entertainment, the ways in which we access and engage with entertainment is quickly evolving.  Our group developed a survey about Media Viewing Habits and a person’s change in habits and preferred media sources within the last five years.

Our group took a multi-faceted approach to developing this survey.  First, to frame our survey questions, we defined our target as U of M undergraduate and graduate students.  Then, as a group we discussed overall themes of questions and areas of interest within media.  It was decided that our survey should focus on the kinds of media preferred, the vehicle used to consume the media, how these two factors have changed in the past five years, and how living situations affect media viewing.  Next, each group member individually contributed five questions to the preliminary survey.  Existing surveys about similar subjects were used as references for ways to write questions in a manner that will yield the most valuable information.  Next, with all of the group members’ questions amalgamated, final questions were written, sometimes as a combination of several individual questions.  We gave great consideration to the order of the questions, trying to build upon the previous question in a logical progression.  The final survey, titled Media Viewing Habits, was administered to the class on November 17, 2011.

Analysis and Results

Closed-choice options were tabulated by SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) to find frequencies and cross-tabulations, and open-choice options were coded to find prevalent themes.  We focused on differentiating the data by student status, grouping replies by undergraduate or graduate (including both Master’s and Ph.D. students) status, though a variety of other cross-tabulations are possible.

Although the sample size was not big enough to yield much statistical significance, we did discover some interesting relationships in our three main areas of questioning: media-viewing devices and methods, internet-based versus non-internet-based media, and the effect of living situation on media viewing.  Attached are data for the questions we found most interesting.

The first category of questions focused on media-viewing devices and methods. When asking respondents about media viewing devices, almost all stated they had access to television and a personal computer. Fewer respondents had access to smart phones, other mobile devices and gaming systems. Furthermore, when comparing which services respondents had personal access to today and what they had access to five years ago, the majority access to many of the services remained the same. However, there was an increase in access for services such as streaming video subscription services, digital video recorders, and smart phones. For example, only four respondents replied they had smart phone access five years ago when sixteen respondents currently have access.

When asked whether they preferred internet-based or non-internet-based media, most respondents replied that they had no preference, and of those who indicated a preference, it was split evenly between internet-based on non-internet-based.  Replies to the open-choice option indicate some of the reasons why respondents did or did not have a preference: those who preferred internet-based media tended to cite convenience, greater access, fewer commercials, and greater value for the money, whereas those who preferred non-internet-based media cited greater relaxation and problems with internet connections.  Those who indicated no preference responded that convenience was the biggest factor in determining how to view media, so they used a combination of internet and non-internet based media.  Responses to questions regarding the number of hours spent watching internet-based and non-internet-based media elucidate how these preferences are enacted in reality; see appendix for graphs of these data.

Additionally, when asked in an open-ended question how media viewing habits have changed since the introduction of watching television, movies, or other media online, the majority of respondents replied they watch more online then they have in the past. Some responses indicated this increase is due to convenience, lower costs, and ease of access on multiple viewing devices. The respondents who stated their habits only increased slightly also contributed this increase to the availability of television online. Very few responses indicated a decrease in viewing habits.

The final category of questions dealt with one’s living situation and the effect it has on media viewing habits.  The majority of respondents do not live alone, with undergraduates tending to live with non-family roommates and graduate students tending to live with either family or non-family roommates.  Few respondents lived in a home with children.  An open-choice option asked respondents to describe how their living situation affects their media viewing habits; responses were equally split between those who watch more media when living with other people and those who say their living situation has no effect on their media viewing.  Interestingly, no one reported watching less media overall as a result of living with people, although one respondent indicated that the type of media she watched was affected..  Also of interest is the language used when describing this effect; of the respondents who answered that they watch more media as a result of living with others, half of them used language that seems to blame their roommate(s) for this, stating that they “get sucked into what [roommate] was watching,” or “get hooked into watching media I otherwise wouldn’t.”

Limitations

While reviewing our survey after it had been administered we realized that we hadn’t collected gender demographics from the respondents.  That information could have potentially shown nuances that are hidden in the data due to the unbalanced sample population of our class the night our survey was administered; the majority of the sample being female.  Another limitation of our survey relating to the sample was the relatively small sample size, one group of 30 respondents, from which to draw any meaningful conclusions about media viewing habits today as compared to five years ago.

Limitations due to the survey questions themselves include a miscommunication of what information was sought after in question eight.  The phrasing of the question on the administered survey asks respondents to provide information about two separate questions within one answer.  Therefore it is not possible for us to use the data gathered from that question.

Implications and Recommendations

Our survey and others like it, i.e. studies conducted by Nielsen, report on a target population’s purchasing and media habits whose uses can reach far and wide; from research and development to marketing in areas from the entertainment industry to consumable products.

With the information gathered, it is inappropriate to make any recommendations on media viewing habits due to both the small and unbalanced sample, and infringing on people’s rights in choosing which activities to participate.  However, to improve the survey tool we recommend refining and piloting the survey questions before administering it to a larger and more balanced sample population.

Appendix A: Media Viewing Habits Survey

Demographics

1.     Which of the following best describes your student status?

□          Undergraduate

□          Graduate – Masters

□          Graduate – Doctoral

□          Non-degree seeking

2.     Which of the following best describes your age group?

□          18-22 years

□          23-27 years

□          28-32 years

□          33-40 years

□          41 year and above

Media-viewing methods and devices

We are going to ask you some questions about your media-viewing habits.  For all of these questions, we are interested only in your media-viewing habits during your personal time, i.e., in your home or on your personal mobile device.  Do not include media services or devices you have access to only at work or school.

3.     Which of the following media services do you have personal access to, and which would you like to have?  Score each media service with one of the following options:

A.    I get (or have regular personal access to) this service

B.     I don’t currently get this service, but I would like to.

C.     I don’t currently get this service and I do not want to.

D.    I don’t know.

_____              Broadcast television

_____              Cable television

_____              Internet

_____              Streaming video subscription service (ex: Netflix)

_____              Digital video recorder (DVR)

_____              Smart phone

4.     Which of the following media-capable devices do you have personal access to, and which would you like to have?  Rank each device with one of the following options:

A.    I own (or have regular personal access to) this device

B.     I don’t currently own this device, but I would like to.

C.     I don’t current own this device and I do not want to.

D.    I don’t know.

_____              Television

_____              Personal computer

_____              Smart phone

_____              Other mobile device (iPod, iPad or other tablet, or other)

_____              Gaming system (X-Box, PS3, or other)

5.     Which of the following media services and devices did you have personal access to 5 years ago (in 2006)?  Check all that apply.

□          Broadcast television

□          Cable television

□          Personal computer

□          Internet

□          Streaming video subscription service (Netflix or other)

□          Digital video recorder (DVR)

□          Smart phone

□          Other mobile device (iPod, iPad or other tablet)

□          Gaming system

6.     How has the quantity (i.e., number of hours per week) of your media-viewing habit changed in the past 5 years (since 2006)?

□          I watch more media now than I did 5 years ago.

□          I watch less media now that I did 5 years ago.

□          I watch the same amount of media now as I did 5 years ago.

7.     How much do you currently pay per month for internet and/or cable television at home?  Do not include mobile phone costs.

□          None

□          $0.01 – $20.00 per month

□          $20.01 – $40.00 per month

□          $40.01 – $60.00 per month

□          $60.01 – $80.00 month

□          More than $80.01

8.     How much do you currently pay per month for media services other than internet and/or cable at home?  This might include Netflix, Hulu, DVR How much are you willing to pay in total, per month, for entertainment media?

□          None

□          $0.01 – $10.00 per month

□          $10.01 – $20.00 per month

□          $20.01 – $30.00 per month

□          $30.01 – $40.00 month

□          More than $40.01

Internet vs. non-internet

9.     How many hours per week do you spend watching any internet-based media (i.e., streaming movies or television, Hulu, YouTube, or other)?

□          None

□          1-3 hours

□          4-6 hours

□          7-9 hours

□          10 or more hours

10.  How many hours per week do you spend watching any non-internet-based media (i.e., broadcast television, cable television, rented DVDs, other non-streamed television or movies)?

□          None

□          1-3 hours

□          4-6 hours

□          7-9 hours

□          10 or more hours

11.  Which statement best describes your preference for media viewing?

□          I prefer internet-based media over non-internet-based media.

□          I prefer non-internet-based media over internet-based media.

□          I have no preference between internet-based and non-internet-based media.

□          I do not watch any media.

12.  In question #10, you identified your preference for media viewing.  Why do you have this preference?

13.  Since the introduction of watching television, movies, or other media online, have your media viewing habits changed?  How so?

Living situation

14.  Which of the following best describes your living situation?

□          I live alone.

□          I live with one or more non-family members.

□          I live with one or more family members.

□          I live with a combination of family and non-family members.

15.  Do you live with children under the age of 18?

□          Yes

□          No

□          I live alone

16.  How does your living arrangement as described in questions #13 and #14 affect your media viewing habits (i.e., the amount of media, the type of media, the device(s) you use to watch media, or other)?

Open-ended Question Responses:

Question 12

Question 13:

Question 16