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Presidential campaign more fun to watch than reality TV, according to EW poll
A new Entertainment Weekly survey has found that 6 in 10 Americans find this election to be enormously entertaining. And the 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed estimate they spend a third of their TV time watching election coverage.
This has got to be terrific good news for cable news networks, where the overwhelming bulk of political coverage is found.
(The survey polled 1,004 Americans last weekend.)
The survey also found that half of all Americans said they are watching fewer prime-time shows due to the election coverage, which might explain lower ratings for several TV shows this fall.
In other ET poll findings:
Viewers like Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin (37.4 percent) on “Saturday Night Live” a little bit better than the Republican vice presidential nominee herself (37 percent). Among women (39 percent), viewers age 18 to 34 (45 percent) and Democrats (66 percent), Fey’s Palin is preferred over the real thing.
Of people whose favorite political spoofs are courtesy of “SNL,” “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report” or “Real Time with Bill Maher,” 3 in 10 respondents say they will watch less of these shows after the election.
Among the 18 to 34 age group, 31 percent said they are watching more election coverage because it’s more entertaining than regular TV series, especially reality shows.
More than 40 percent of respondents said the candidates’ appearances on talk shows have influenced their opinions.
More than half of those polled (53 percent) said celebrity endorsements have “some influence” on the candidates’ appeal. Those age 25 to 34 (59 percent) and Democrats (64 percent) were more likely to be influenced by celebrity endorsements.
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