Survey shows preference differences between age groups

Here are demographic details from the Associated Press-TV Guide poll on television programming and the new TV season.

The results are taken from a poll of 1,002 adults conducted Sept. 6-8 by Ipsos, an international polling firm. The survey has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, larger for subgroups.

Crime shows: Half of adults said there are too many crime shows. Young adults from 18 to 34 were most likely to be satisfied with the amount of crime shows on television.

Sitcoms: About half of adults, 49 percent, said there are about the right amount of sitcoms on television. Young people were slightly more likely to say there aren’t enough sitcoms than older people; 28 percent of those age 18-34 said so.

The elderly were most likely to say there were too many (36 percent of those over 65).

Reality shows: Eight in 10 adults say there’s too much reality TV. Younger people are more likely to feel that way than older people; 24 percent of people 65 or over said there was the right amount. Those with higher incomes and college education were more likely to say there was too much reality TV than those with lower incomes and less education.

Dramas: Six in 10 adults say there’s about the right amount of dramas on television, the category with the highest level of satisfaction. Those with college degrees were most likely to be satisfied (66 percent), while those with a high school education or less were most likely to say there was too much drama on television (25 percent).

Talk shows: More than half of adults, 56 percent, say there’s too much talk on television. Younger people are more likely to feel that way than older people.

Fully half of the elderly say there’s the right amount of talk on television. Rural viewers were more likely than urbanites and suburbanites to say there’s too much talk.

News programs: Six in 10 of adults say there’s the right amount of news on television. Those 65 and older (76 percent) and women (67 percent) were most likely to say there’s about the right amount of news.