How Americans Spend Their Time - Television Viewing

Americans also spend a considerable amount of their leisure time in front of the television, according to Harris Interactive. Where once all television viewers had only a handful of broadcast networks to choose from, by 2003

TABLE 1.1

Public opinion on book selection, by age, 2003
WHEN CHOOSING BOOKS TO READ, HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO SELECT A BOOK FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES?
(Base: Those who read at least one book in past year)
Percent saying "somewhat likely" or "very likely"
Type of book	18–29	30–49	50–64	65+
SOURCE: Jennifer Robison and Steve Crabtree, "Book Selection by Age," in Do Reading Tastes Age?" http://www.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=7732&pg=1 (accessed September 10, 2004). Copyright © 2003 by The Gallup Organization. Reproducedby permission of The Gallup Organization.
Biographies or books about history	72%	72%	74%	76%
Business management and leadership books	38%	48%	39%	23%
Classic literature	46%	50%	45%	43%
Current events books	49%	53%	57%	53%
Current literary fiction	44%	54%	59%	44%
Horror novels	44%	21%	17%	7%
Mystery novels	48%	56%	58%	53%
Personal finance books	29%	44%	31%	27%
Religion and theology	47%	60%	52%	58%
Self improvement books	60%	60%	60%	49%
Thriller or suspense novels	58%	54%	53%	48%
Science fiction novels	40%	36%	29%	23%
Romance novels	36%	24%	22%	27%

there were 283 different cable and satellite channels available, according to Screen Digest. A 2003 study done by Nielsen Media Research found that 73.9 million American households with televisions subscribed to at least a basic package of cable channels, while another 19.4 million had satellite systems. Combined, the two made up close to 90% of all viewing households.

The types of programs Americans watch has evolved over time as well. Hour-long dramas and half-hour comedies once dominated the prime time schedules of the three major networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC), but the success of Survivor and other so-called reality shows has changed the landscape of television. Some observers suggest that, like any fad, such programs will fade into the background after their novelty value has worn thin, while others believe that they will remain a permanent part of the major networks' programming.

Many television viewers enjoy watching rented digital videodisc (DVD) or videocassette copies of movies at home. A 2001 Gallup poll found that 83% of all respondents stated that they had watched a movie at home in the month preceding the poll. Among young adults aged eighteen to twenty-nine, this figure was 96%. Older adults tended to watch the fewest movies at home.