Stars’ salaries may be entering a new stratosphere, but screenwriters take note: It’s the plot that most moviegoers say plays a leading role in their decision to see a particular film, according to a new The Hollywood Reporter-Robinson Lerer Sawyer Miller poll.

The poll also revealed that the price of a ticket means fewer trips to the movies for almost half of the total adult population and 54 percent of adults 18-29. Meanwhile, more than half of all adults say they wait for a home video release rather than see a movie in the theater.

Based on a telephone poll of 1,005 adults taken Feb. 8-11, 76 percent of those surveyed said the plot of a movie was the determining factor when choosing which film to see. The percentage was higher among adults aged 18-29 (79 percent) and 30-39 (81 percent).

The overwhelming response regarding the plot of a film showed the importance of describing a story to the press and the public through advertising and publicity, said Marcela Berland, managing director of KRC Research, the Robinson Lerer Sawyer Miller unit that conducted the poll.

Word-of-mouth was most important to 55 percent of those surveyed, while the star played a key factor for 50 percent.

The poll found the director the least influential factor in the decision to attend a particular movie. Only 13 percent said it played a major role, while 44 percent said it played no role at all. A film’s title also has little impact, as it played a major role to only 17 percent of those surveyed.

The sway movie critics have with consumers apparently is limited, according to the poll. Film reviews were chosen as a major factor in moviegoing role by only 27 percent of respondents, although the figure varied widely depending on the demographics. Reviews mattered least to the 18-29 segment (18 percent). Among adults 40-49 the figure increased to 27 percent, while among adults 60-plus, it reached 37 percent. Twenty-six percent of all respondents said reviews played no role at all in their moviegoing decisions.

Television or print advertising played a major role to 35 percent of the respondents, while 19 percent said it played no role. Trailers played a major role to 35 percent while 26 percent said it played no role.

Advertising’s influence is stronger among young adults, with 39 percent saying it played a major role. Trailers are also more of an inducement within the segment. The influence of advertising and trailers declines as the population gets older. However, determining how much influence advertising and reviews have is tricky, as people are reluctant to admit they are swayed by such factors.

“People tend to deny the influence of advertising, but we all know advertising works,” Berland said. “It’s not that they’re lying, but people don’t want to acknowledge it. They are not ashamed to say that they are influenced by word-of-mouth.”

The poll showed that the frequency of trips to the movies is clearly affected by the price of a ticket. Forty-five percent of the respondents said they go less frequently because of ticket prices. The figure was 54 percent among adults 18-29 and 49 percent among married respondents.

Adults 60 and older were the least affected by ticket prices, with 30 percent of the group saying they go less often because of them. Forty-six percent of the respondents said ticket prices had no influence on how often they go to the movies.

Home video is also having an impact on moviegoing. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents said they usually wait for a movie to come out on home video rather than seeing it in the theater. The figure was highest among married respondents (65 percent).

While at the movies, most people say they are not bothered by onscreen advertising. Fifty-five percent of the respondents said commercials that run before a film made no difference to their moviegoing experience. Twenty-seven percent said it was a detriment while 12 percent said it was an enhancement.

The 18-29 segment had the least objections to on-screen advertising, with only 15 percent of the respondents calling it a detriment. Least tolerant were respondents aged 40-59 and those making $55,000 and up. Berland said the responses indicated that on-screen advertising is most effective for products aimed at younger audiences while marketers of upscale brands should steer clear of it.