Do politics play a role in TV viewing?
Yes and no, according to Nielsen IAG, which recently released data showing which cable programs are most “engaging” among self-identified Democrats and Republicans.
“Engagement” refers to the amount of attention paid to a television program by the average viewer. Nielsen measures TV engagement by questioning a representative panel of viewers about their recall of specific telecasts’ content.
Nielsen’s analysis found that the cable programs that received the highest overall engagement scores — meaning viewers were most engaged in the shows’ content — also received the most bipartisan support, drawing high engagement scores from viewers of both parties, as well as from viewers who identify as political “Independents.”
As might be expected, however, several programs had clear partisan bents. On Comedy Central, for example, Democratic viewers paid the most attention to “The Colbert Report,” while “South Park” was the network’s most engaging show among Republicans.
| Cable Series: Highest Bipartisan Engagement |
Network | Cable Series: Highest Republican Engagement |
Network | Cable Series: Highest Democrat Engagement |
Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cleaner | A&E | South Park | COMEDY | The Colbert Report | COMEDY |
| Real Housewives of Orange County | BRAVO | Cash Cab | DSC | Deadliest Catch | DSC |
| The Next Food Network Star | FOOD | Damages | FX | Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia | FX |
| HGTV Design Star | HGTV | Battle 360 | HISTORY | Ax Men | HISTORY |
| Army Wives | LIFE | Doctor Who | SCIFI | Tin Man | SCIFI |
| The Hills | MTV | The Bill Engval Show | TBS | My Boys | TBS |
| What Not to Wear | TLC | Rock of Love With Bret Michaels | VH1 | I Love New York | VH1 |
| Saving Grace | TNT | ||||
| In Plain Sight | USA | ||||
| Source: The Nielsen Company (2008). | |||||
Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings on NPR.org and in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and Mediaweek.
[...] which today posted perhaps their most useful and practical survey information of all time: charting how Republicans and Democrats watch TV. While some of the differences are exaggerated, there were some notable differences – particularly [...]
As a Republican, I can’t believe that “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe” didn’t make the cut…..
Funny choices for the Dems considering it’s now a party of elite effete latte drinking Volvo drivers. Taking a walk on the working class side, libs? I find it odd they don’t watch Dirty Jobs. Maybe that’s just too down and dirty for them…you know, real people doing real work?
I find it hard to believe that Democrats pay so much attention to Deadliest Catch – a show about hard working, self-reliant fishermen from Alaska robbing the ocean of its inhabitants. Maybe it’s because the Democrat men watch it to see what real men are like, and maybe the Democrat women watch it to also see what real men are like. Just a thought.
I’m a Dem, and I really did LOVE Tin Man :) But Doctor Who isn’t bad. I’m also a fan of Saving Grace. So maybe I’m a very confused gal, huh? ;p
Isn’t anyone watching “The Daily Show?”
Republicans like Doctor Who? Even though it’s accused of furthering the gay agenda? That’s interesting…
are these rankings or an alphabetical by network list?
If Republicans are watching Doctor Who, they certainly aren’t learning anything from the show.
The Doctor, who btw never uses a firearm would remind them that violence and warfare are always a last resort.
And they really watched the Doctor in action they would learn about the value of community, about caring for those less fortunate and about how every last one of us, no matter our race, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or planet of birth (because he IS the Doctor) deserves the same respect.
I do get that Republicans would enjoy Damages. They probably watch the show for tips on fixing juries and discrediting witnesses.
That’s right, I said it!
So you can imagine my surprise seeing my favorite show also mentioned among Republican favorites.
SOUTH PARK AND CASH CAB!! My two favorite guilty pleasures in the whole universe. The survey nailed it.
However, I don’t watch anything on the bipartisan-weighted list, so it must run heavily Democratic.
Also, I liked Tin Man too, but that means this is an OLD survey. That was last winter, wasn’t it?
72 million Americans are registered Democrats. Are you saying that 72 million Americans are elite effete latte drinking Volvo drivers. That’s a lotta latte!
And a lotta stupid. Maybe you should get out more.
I am an independent which may explain why I can’t stand watching tv anymore!
[...] Nielsen IAG has released data about which cable television programs are “most engaging” among self-described Republicans and Democrats, meaning the shows they actually pay attention to. [...]
[...] 22, 2008 · No Comments This comes from the Nielsen wire so it must be true. Although you’d have to wonder (and fear- how they figure out the [...]
[...] The results from Nielsen: [...]
Clayton-
In IAG’s measure of viewer engagement, “The Daily Show” ranks just below “The Colbert Report” among Democrats — so Dems are very attentive to both programs!
-NielsenWire
Bubba HoTep-
These are not rankings. The networks are listed in alphabetical order in our chart.
-NielsenWire
“That’s a lotta latte! And a lotta stupid. Maybe you should get out more.”
No kidding. These people live in a cocoon of unreality fed by Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. They live in their own fantasy world like the democrats of the 1970s and 80s that just didn’t get Reagan. The music has stopped, the chairs are taken, and they are left standing around talking about “real republican men.” What a joke.
[...] has posted an interesting exposition on their blog in which they rate the television viewers’ political leanings with regards to the programs they watch. Based on their study, the show which best engages the Democratic viewer is The Colbert Report. The [...]
[...] Ratings, Reality-FreeNielsen has posted an interesting article on their blog in which they rate the television viewers’ political leanings with regards to the programs they watch. Based on their study, the show which best engages the Democratic viewer is The Colbert Report. The [...]
[...] Ratings, Reality-FreeNielsen has posted an interesting article on their blog in which they rate the television viewers’ political leanings with regards to the programs they watch. Based on their study, the show which best engages the Democratic viewer is The Colbert Report. The [...]
[...] has posted an interesting article on their blog in which they rate the television viewers’ political leanings with regards to the programs they watch. Based on their study, the show which best engages the Democratic viewer is The Colbert Report. The [...]
Yes I am a democrat and I do drink latte, but as a bookkeeper and a national guard electronic repair specialist, I’m not sure I can be counted among the “effete elite”. BTW, I don’t watch TV outside the news: a) cable is way too expensive, b) I prefer renting Mel Brooks’ movies and laugh at the funny innuendos with my (non-pregnant) 4 kids.
The poll is not done correctly. It rates the most engaging show by repubs and dems FOR EACH NETWORK, not overall. Given what they said they were demonstrating at the beginning of the article, this is a pretty dumb way to run a study. It does nothing to show, say, if dems like Sci Fi more than repubs. for all we know, it’s consistent that southpark is one of the least liked shows of repubs – even though its the most engaging of the shows ON COMEDY CENTRAL – in the case that they really don’t like comedy central at all.
Think – what if they had asked dems what their favorite show is on Fox News? Or the repubs their favorite show on CNN – and then added that to the list here? It’d be a pretty crap study.
[...] out that as far Comedy Central goes, Democrats prefer the Colbert Report, while Republicans turn to South Park. Though they both agree that “The Next Food Network Star” is their favorite Food [...]
This is interesting. Thanks, Nielsen.
Also, folks, read the intro. These aren’t “ratings” these are “highest engagement” scores, based on ability to answer questions about the show correctly after having reported watching it. So, for example, I know that “The Closer” averages higher ratings than most, if not all, of the shows on this list. However, clearly those who watch it are slightly less engaged than the watchers for these shows.
In a way, having a show with broader appeal might actually hurt your “engaged viewer” percentages, since it would draw in more people who would watch the show casually.
[...] an interesting report out from Nielsen, about which tv shows engaged Dems and engaged Repubs watch. One thing I’ve [...]
Sorry but no way on the TV show chart. I have been a life-long liberal Democrat my entire life. I believe whole-heartedly in the dream, FDR economics and the Great Society among other tenets.
There is very little that I like on the Democrat list. I watch the “Colbert Report” sometimes but I’m not a fan. I sometimes watch “Deadliest Catch” but that’s the only other thing on that list that I am vaguely entertained by.
On the other hand, I am a huge Doctor Who fan. I think that it is the best show on Television – bar none. It surprises me – which is a rare treat for someone who has absorbed so many hack plots from years of films and movies.
I find “South Park” preferable to almost every animated show and half-hour comedy except perhaps “The Simpsons” I can’t imagine that conservatives find “South Park” more engaging that Liberals. Sure, I don’t like it when SP takes pokes at my liberal ideology, but I don’t take it personal, they piss off everyone at some point. And they do it so brilliantly.
And as a history buff, I am a big fan of “Battle 360″ and a similar show “Dogfights”. As a Liberal I am not a fan of war, but I understand its place in history. I realize that it is because of the battles fought, won and lost that we are where are on the wheel of history. And it may be hard for some conservatives to believe but Liberal is not synonymous with pacifist. You can push a Liberal too far or threaten that which we hold precious just a little too much for us to allow you to live. And even though some conservatives consider it a myth – most of us have a strong streak of patriotism that demands that this country be defended from its enemies. But we also believe, more so than conservatives, that those enemies are often domestic as much if not more so than foreign.
Whatever methodology Nielsen came up with to determine this is flawed. It reminds me of the Myers-Briggs test that I took in college that said I had most likes and dislikes in common with US Navy Officers – in other words, a pile of horsesh*t. I spent six years in the Navy as an enlisted man and realized that the military was the last place in the world I wanted to be – I would rather be home watching Doctor Who.
[...] Ratings, Reality-FreeNielsen has posted an interesting article on their blog in which they rate the television viewers’ political leanings with regards to the programs they watch. Based on their study, the show which best engages the Democratic viewer is The Colbert Report. The [...]
Colbert and South Park are my favorite comedies, along with the Daily Show, 30 Rock, and Boston Legal. My other favorites are dramas like Damages, Lost, Mad Men, and Rescue Me. So I guess my tastes don’t line up that well with those of most liberals.
My friend loaned me “The Mother’s in-law” with Kay Ballard and Eve Arden on dvd. It takes my mind off the election. ‘Nuff said.
[...] See the chart here. [...]
[...] by mbcarps on October 23, 2008 First viewed at avclub.com, I was thoroughly intrigued by a recent study done by Nielsen Corp. concerning the partisan divide of American (cable) television shows. Below [...]
This is a dumb survey, at least based on how people are interpreting it. What we would like to see is a rank order of the most popular shows based on political affiliation. What we get is an ordering of shows, BY NETWORK, which doesn’t say much. That’s why many dems might watch both Colbert and South Park, over say Ax Men. I’m sure Nielson has this data, but the presentation is not really useful. It would also be interesting to know where the biggest disparities are (ie shows that only reps watch but virtually no dems do).
[...] has just come out with a study, looking at tv watching habits – and trying to see if there is a correlation between viewing habits [...]
[...] of crude, some ham-fisted political insinuations (Nielsen ranks South Park as having the ‘highest Republican engagement‘ of any cable program), and heaping helpings of irreverence: Jesus sits on the [...]
Andy, OB-Wan222, and duck soup-
Nielsen IAG collects “engagement” data on all TV programs among both Republicans and Democrats. We agree that a rank order of all shows by party affiliation would be a useful way of understanding how programs compare to one another across networks. For this limited dataset, however, we are only releasing the top program, in terms of viewer engagement, for each network. This data “snapshot” is intended to provide a basic idea of how viewers with different party affiliations are responding to the programs they watch.
-NielsenWire
[...] Democrats and Republicans Respond to TV Differently… Film at 11 [...]
as a moderate leaning democrat, just wanted to say, doctor who rules…it’s one of my favorite shows and i don’t see what this matters anyway for most tv shows.
Well, I’m a left-wing die hard South Park fan. :)
South Park makes fun of the extremes if both sides, liberal hippies on the left, redneck conservatives on the right.
But the extremes on the left are more “out there”, I’m the first to admit. There is just more material on the left with all the Hollywood stars and such.
It;s weird though… I find myself constantly agreeing with South Park, yet all these Republicans love it too? I disagree with right-wing methods and values, but I like small government. Mabey I’m center-left?
[...] South Park Republicans and Colbert Democrats, from Neilsen’s. [...]
[...] Shocker! Republicans and Democrats watch different TV shows…here’s how they break down. [...]
No way on the Doctor Who thing. I mean, you have got to be kidding me. I live in Tom DeLay’s old district, an incredibly Republican enclave, and I’m the only person I know who lives here who has ever even watched Doctor Who. I’m also one of the few with Obama signs. Most everyone I know who watches this show is on the liberal side — and they don’t live around here!
Doctor Who’s strong anti-war, anti-authoritarianism, live and let live message would not play very well with most Republicans. Republicans who like science fiction tend to like things like Starship Troopers. I question Nielsen’s methodology.
[...] David Tenant, nor The Doctor have actually endorsed John McCain. (As far as I know, anyway) But according to Nielsen, Dr. Who is apparently the show of choice among Republicans, while Democrats prefer Tin [...]
57 academics just punched the air…
[...] the web everyday. I admit it. I am not ashamed. Here are the pages I marked recently on Ma.gnolia:NielsenWire » Do Dem & GOP Viewers Respond Differently To TV Shows?Nielsen looks at the most engaging TV shows for Republicans and Democrats.Rating: ★ [...]
Sigh, no Daily Show love…oh well. I’ve watched some of the shows on both lists, and I know Republicans and Democrats who’ve watched shows on both lists. Plus, the way they went about this study seems very…well…ok, let’s just say it. -Stupid-. They could have done this much better. I do find it hilarious that South Park (which takes place in a redneck mountain town) and the Bill Engval show (another redneck) are so appealing to Republicans, though.
To be fair to South Park, though, I could hardly call it biased towards either side of the political aisle. Whenever there is a political issue discussed, it shows an even amount of the characters on either side of the issue (Take the episode about the Iraq War, or the one right after the 2008 election). So I think it’s justifiable that I love South Park :P
[...] a study by Nielsen, who is well known for their industry standard weekly TV ratings, the company says that the answer [...]
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