In this article:
Highlights from the Teens & Celebrities Survey Results
Teens & Celebrities article
More on our Teen Surveys

 

 

Survey Results

Teens & Celebrities

        

 

1. In general, how do you keep up with your favorite stars? 

           

ALL                                          Girls     Boys   

            48%  TV                                   38%     67%    

            26%  TV                                   37%     6%    

            10%  Online                             10%     11%    

              7%  Friends                              7%       8%    
              7%  Radio                                6%       6%    

              2%  Newspaper                        2%       2%    

           

           

2. When it comes to media coverage of celebrities, do you think there is:

56%   Too much coverage
  8%   Too little coverage

 36%  Just enough
 

                       

 

3. Which quality matters most to you in a celebrity? (Pick one)

36%  Talent                            
32%  Personality                     

17%  Character                                   

15%  Looks

                                   

 

4. Have you ever dieted because you wanted to look more like a celebrity?

 

ALL                              Girls     Boys

13%     Yes                  16%     6%                 

87%      No                   84%     94%                

 

5. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: When celebrities make the following choices, a lot of teens want to do the same.

Agree		Disagree				Girls agree		Boys agree
77		23		Lose weight		80		70
62		38		Pierce a body part		63		59
58		42		Get a tattoo		57		61
48		52		Drink alcohol		48		49
47		53		Smoke cigarettes		48		46
39		61		Take drugs		38		41
25		75		Have a baby		24		28

 

 

6. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: On each of the following issues, when a celebrity supports it, teens really listen.

Agree   Disagree                                             

67%     33%                 Have safe sex

61%     39%                 Don't take drugs

58%     42%                 Don't smoke                

54%     46%                 Don't drink

49%     51%                 Practice abstinence 

           

 

 

7. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: If a celebrity can be successful without going to college, so can I.

ALL                              Girls     Boys   

19%  Agree                  16%     24%    

81%  Disagree             84%     76%    

 

8. When celebrities participate in raising money for special causes, such as Live 8 or Hurricane Katrina relief, does that:

 

Yes      No                                                                   

37%     63%     Encourage you to donate money  

22%     78%     Make you think more about the cause  

30%     70%     Increase your respect for the celebrity    

52%     48%     Make you suspect they are just

  promoting themselves.

 

 

 

9. If celebrities do something you think is bad, like taking drugs or cheating on a spouse, which of the following statements would you say is true? (Pick one)

 

65%  It doesn't matter what they do: I like their acting, singing, baseball playing, etc.
26%  I won't buy their records, see their movies, attending their sporting event, etc.

  9%  I'm more likely to buy their records, see their movies, attend their sporting events, etc.

 

 

 

10.  Do you think celebrities have good lives?

            ALL                              Girls     Boys               

61%     Yes                  58%     66%                

            39%     No                    42%     34%    

 

           

 

11. If a celebrity you like endorses a product or service, are you more likely to buy it?

 

ALL                             

18%     Yes                 

            25%     No                   

            57%     Maybe             

 

12. Do you think celebrities get paid too much?

           

            67%     Yes

            33%     No

           

 

13. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Seeing thin or buff celebrities makes me wish I looked that way.

 

ALL                              Girls     Boys

            43%     Agree               46%     38%    

            57%     Disagree          54%     62%    

 

           

14. What do you think is the coolest thing about being a celebrity? (Pick one)

ALL                                          Girls     Boys               

38%     Money                          35%     46%

23%     Career                          26%     17%
21%     Fame                           22%     19%
  5%     Power                            5%     5%
13%     None of the above       12%     13%

 

 

15. When it comes to what you think about important issues like war and politics, rate how much influence each of the following people's opinion has on you, on a scale of 0 to 5 (with 0 being no influence at all and 5 being extremely influential):

 

 

                        0        1         2         3         4         5        

My parents       5%       4%      6%      15%     23%     47%

My friends        8%        8%     17%     24%     25%     18%

My teachers     13%     11%     14%     24%     24%     14%

The media        22%     18%     19%     19%     13%       9%

Celebrities        28%     21%     18%     18%     9%        6%

 

           

 

16. Should celebrities use their influence to support or oppose political issues?

            48%     Yes

            52%     No

 

           

 

 

DEMOGRAPHICS:

 

Gender:

            67%     Female

            33%     Male

           

Race:

            72%     White  

            11%     Black

              8%     Hispanic

              2%     Asian

              4%     Multiracial

              3%     Other

Grade in school:

             10%    6^th-grade

             16%    7^th-grade

             19%    8^th-grade

             15%    9^th-grade

             16%    10^th-grade

             12%    11^th-grade

             12%    12^th-grade

 

Grades (collapsed)

             45%    6^th-8^th grades   

 55%    9^th-12^th grades

 

 

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