Fun_People Archive
12 Oct
Important Research Results!

Date: Wed, 12 Oct 94 22:45:48 PDT
To: Fun_People
Subject: Important Research Results!

[And we thought the Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) were the only ones
doing vital sociological research like this... -psl]

Forwarded-by: Chris LaFournaise <lafourc@storm.CS.ORST.EDU>


NEW SURVEY DETAILS AMERICA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH TV REMOTE CONTROL; 1 OF 3 SAY
WATCHING TV NOT AS ENJOYABLE WITHOUT THE REMOTE CONTROL

  NEW YORK, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Just how important has the television
remote control become in our everyday lives? A Magnavox survey of American
households, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, indicates it's
practically indispensable, and reveals a lot more about America's relationship
with its remotes.

  Among the survey findings:

  -- One out of three Americans say watching television wouldn't be as
pleasurable without the remote control as it is with the device.

-- Personal control is a real issue in one out of every three American households.

-- 18% of women surveyed, compared to just 9 % of the men, said that if they
had to choose, they would rather give up sex than their TV remote control for
one week.

The survey results are being released upon the introduction of the new line of
Magnavox Remote Locator(TM) color televisions which help TV viewers find their
lost remote controls in seconds, simply by pressing the TV's "Power-On" button.

  Additional highlights of the survey:

  -- Over half (55%) of the respondents said they lose the remote control up to
five times a week.  And 11% of those surveyed said they lose the remote between
six and ten times a week.

-- After they've lost their remote controls, 63% of Americans say that they
spend up to five minutes a day looking for it.  Sixteen percent say that they
spend 10 minutes a day looking for it.

-- The most frequent places that Americans find their remotes include in and
under furniture (38%), in the kitchen or bathroom (20%), and in the
refrigerator (6%).

-- One percent of those surveyed actually reported finding theirs with their pet.

-- When asked who was most likely to lose the TV remote control in the
household, 31% of the men polled said "they were," while only 19% of the women
said "they were."

  -- When asked who was most likely to handle the TV remote control in the
household, 62% of the men polled said "they were," while only 37% of the women
said "they were."

Dr. Dean Krugman, a professor at the College of Journalism and Mass
Communication, University of Georgia and one of the nation's leading
authorities on television viewing, notes that in almost every research study
performed on the television viewing process males use the remote control at a
two to one ratio over females.

"Men are more often the ones controlling the viewing process at home," notes
Professor Krugman.  "As a result, there's a lot of -- let's say interaction --
that takes place around the remote."

  -- There's Even an Etiquette --

  According to the Magnavox survey, 1 out of every 4 Americans "channel surfs"
(quickly flips through channels) to find a program to watch.  Men were shown to
be twice as likely as women to dominate the remote control.  Only 7% of those
responding agreed that the right to control the remote is equal between men and women.

  And, there's even an etiquette evolving around the remote control:

-- 62% of those surveyed said they found it rude when the person who controls
the remote constantly channel surfs.

-- 52% of respondents find it rude when the person who controls the remote
won't take requests from others also watching.

-- 40% of Americans don't like it when a guest in their house takes control of
the remote control.

-- 40% are ticked off when they know someone has misplaced the remote control
but won't admit to it.

The Magnavox Remote Locator(TM) Survey, completed in August of 1994, evaluated
the usage of the television remote control in America.  The telephone survey
was conducted for Magnavox by Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, NJ
among a national probability sample of 1,013 adults comprising 508 men and 505
women 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the
continental United States.

The sponsor of the survey is Philips Consumer Electronics Company, which
designs, manufactures and markets Philips and Magnavox consumer,
professional/commercial and business electronics products.  PCEC, with
headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., is a division of Philips Electronics North
America Corporation, a $6 billion concern whose brands include Magnavox,
Norelco and Philips Lighting.  PCEC is also part of Philips Electronics N.V.,
the 100-year-old global electronics leader with worldwide sales of $30 billion,
based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

  /CONTACT:  Michelle Zawrotny of Makovsky & Company, 212-532-6300/ Copyright
(c) 1994 PR Newswire

© 1994 Peter Langston