March 27, 2006 - The State of the Apostolic Nation—Media Consumption

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The State of the Apostolic Nation—Media Consumption

Consuming Media or Consumed by Media?

March 27, 2006

Media is no longer a choice, it is simply our life. Whether it’s what we read (print, computers, cell phones, iPods), how we listen to music (radio, satellite radio, computer, portable devices) or where the news is broadcast <does that term have any relevance anymore?), everyone is drenched in information of every type.

So how do we control and monitor it? ninetyandnine.com compiled a short survey to find out, similar to our Media Consumption Survey in 2001, on several popular—and often reviled—mediums. (We hope to cover other mediums in another survey published in the coming months.) This survey is not meant to be comprehensive so much as a snapshot of Christians in 2006. With that understanding, there were many interesting nuggets that surfaced.

Some general staff observations:

Not every question was answered by everyone, so stats don’t always equal 100% and were rounded up.
For the first time since we started taking surveys, the 18-23 age group was a minority. Considering that 20somethings are our core audience and the topic was a perennial favorite, this was a surprise. We’re not sure how or why that happened, but would be interested in your thoughts.
Inevitably, there are interesting contradictions: the television usage states that respondents are super conservative (if polling all of America), yet there are many who admit to going to movies (PG-13 and up) and there are a lot who say they get their news from television. Is that an accurate profile?
Numerous studies show most Americans watching numerous hours of television each day, while our super-majority either didn’t have a TV or watched less than one hour a day. Is this a case of respondents not being aware of their own media behaviors and thinking we do those things less than we actually do?
Is it horrifying how few Christians read reviews before indulging in a movie/DVD? Is word of mouth that accurate when discussing content or do respondents just trust the movie/DVD commercials, ads, ratings system, and box office returns? Is it too hard to get an outside, hopefully independent, evaluation of quality before a movie/DVD is absorbed?

Paul instructed the saints to develop their convictions, their own salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). If we can’t evaluate the media tsunami and our behavior toward it through the lens of Scripture, no matter the content, we’re unlikely to remain triumphant in Christ.

90&9 is interested in your thoughts on this survey, our observations, or anything media related. This is only the start of a discussion that you must now continue.

Special thanks to Paula North for dicing this data into manageable shape. Any possible inaccuracies are ours, not hers.

These results were taken from February 27, 2006 through March 5, 2006.

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Gender
Female	50%
Male	49%

Your Age
24 – 30	34%
31 – 40	22%
41 - 50	17%
18 - 23	14%
50 and over	10%
Under 18	2%

TELEVISION

I own a…
Small/ Regular-sized TV	62%
I Don’t Own a TV	25%
Big Screen TV	7%
Plasma Screen	2%
Other	3%
Of the different age demographics, the 24-30 age group had the biggest percentage of non-TV owners and small screen owners.
On a typical day how much time do you spend watching television?
1 hour or less	35%
I don’t watch TV	34%
1 - 3 hours	27%
4 - 7 hours	3%
8+ hours	1%

INTERNET / WEB

How much daily time do you spend using email?
1 hour or less	50%
1 - 3 hours	32%
3 - 5 hours	7%
8+ hours	6%
6 - 7 hours	4%

How much daily time do you spend surfing the Web (for pleasure, at work or home)?
1 - 3 hours	43%
1 hour or less	34%
3 - 5 hours	17%
6 – 7 hours	4%
8+ hours	2%

Where do you primarily get your news / serious information?
The Internet	59%
Television	20%
Newspapers	16%
Magazines	1%
The Pastor	1%
Grandpa	1%

In an average week, I listen to podcasts…
Never have yet	67%
What’s a podcast?	20%
Once a week	8%
2-5 weekly	3%
5-8 weekly	1%
9+ weekly	1%
This seems to confirm our impression that podcasts get a disproportionate amount of hype compared to how many people (Apostolic and otherwise) actually listen to them.

MOVIES

Do You Watch or Attend Movies?
Only DVDs	49%
t the Theater and on DVD	26%
No, my pastor asks that I don’t	13%
No, I don’t have time.	10%
Mostly At the Theater	1%
The biggest percentage of all females (25%) watches “Only DVDs,” with 10% watching at both theaters and DVDs. The biggest percentage of all males (22%) watches “Only DVDs,” with 16% watching at both theaters and DVDs.

How Frequently Do You Watch Movies/DVDs?
1 - 2 a Month	35%
1 - 2 a Week	32%
1 - 2 a Quarter	10%
Never	9%
3+ a Week	8%
1 - 2 a Year	6%
What's a movie?	1%

What is the Highest Rated Movie You Will Watch?
Ratings don’t matter, content does	35%
PG-13	27%
R	19%
I only watch DVDs using a filter program	6%
PG	4%
G	3%
Above an R	1%

I read at least one movie/DVD review before I watch that movie/DVD.
Sometimes	40%
Every time	23%
Never	17%
Rarely	14%
I read 2 or more reviews before viewing	1%
The biggest percentage of all males (18%) and all females (21%) only check reviews “Sometimes.” For those who “Always” check reviews, it was 9% of all males and 13% of all females. For those who “Never” check reviews, it was 9% of all males and 8% of all females.

The size of my DVD collection is…
1-5 DVDs	20%
11-25 DVDs	20%
6-10 DVDs	17%
26-50 DVDs	14%
51-100 DVDs	10%
101+ DVDs	5%

ninetyandnine.com

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