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Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Who's Watching American Idol?
Relatively Few Worship Regularly at the Top TV Show's Altar
As "American Idol" Season 6 comes to a close, 22% of the public is paying close attention to what's happening on the show including 13% who are following Idol news very closely and 9% are following fairly closely. In spite of the fact that "American Idol" has been at the top of the television ratings throughout the season, three-quarters of the public are paying little or no attention to the show (11% say they're not following Idol news too closely and 66% say they're not following it at all).
Still, nearly three-in-ten Americans say Idol comes up in conversations with family, friends and co-workers at least occasionally. Another 31% say the topic hardly ever comes up, and 39% say it never does. Loyal Idol viewers, spend a lot of time talking about the show. Among those who are following American Idol very closely, fully 84% say they frequently or occasionally discuss the show with family, friends and co-workers.
Women are more likely than men to be following "American Idol" (26% vs. 17%, respectively, are following very or fairly closely), and to be chatting about the show with family and friends (33% vs. 25%). Young women are among the most interested in the show, with 30% following it very or fairly closely. In general, young people are somewhat more interested in the show than are their older counterparts. However, even among those ages 50-64, 20% are following Idol news very or fairly closely.
College graduates are less likely to be following what's going on with the show than are those who have never attended college. However, parents of children under age 18 are more likely to be following Idol than are non-parents -- 30% of parents compared with 18% of non-parents follow the show very or fairly closely.