Entertainment Survey

By Danielle Brown
 Executive Summary

My survey surrounded the recent surge in streaming services and whether they will

replace cable/satellite in the future. This was interesting for me as a young adult who is not sure

whether or not traditional cable/satellite is a good fit for me.

Growing up, I had DirecTV in my household. I had a never-ending list of channels, but

most of them rarely got watched since I frequented the same channels. As a college student,

streaming services seem to be the most economical option since I can choose want I want to

watch with services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. I own a Roku streaming stick

and they are all available at the touch of a button on my television.

I wanted to find out if using streaming services over cable/satellite or vice versa had to do

with certain demographics. I first wanted to ask if age was a factor in choosing services, as

cable/satellite is the more traditional route, and streaming services are fairly new to the game. I

wanted to know if streaming service viewers would be younger than cable/satellite viewers on

average, and if cable/satellite viewers would be younger than streaming service viewers. I also

wanted to find out if gender had a role in entertainment choices, specifically if women were

more likely to watch streaming services than men, and if men were more likely to be subscribed

to cable/satellite than women. Lastly, I wanted to explore if those with higher incomes were

more likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite than those with lower incomes.

My survey is sectioned in a way that the participant will only see certain questions if

they chose a certain response. These questions include if they used streaming services or

cable/satellite, their satisfaction with their current media consumption, hours a week spent

watching media, and demographics questions. My questions include write-in and pre-written
options, as well as sliding scales. They are all anonymous, but provide enough information to get

a good idea of each person taking the survey.

Through my results, I found that younger people are more likely to be subscribed to

streaming services and older people are more likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite. I also

found that women were more likely to be subscribed to streaming services while men were more

likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite. Lastly, income played a role in media consumption,

namely those with higher incomes were more likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite than those

with lower incomes.

In conclusion, with such a large number of younger people subscribed to streaming

services, it isn’t out of the question to think that streaming services could overtake cable/satellite

providers. Cable/satellite should eventually look at providing more economical options for those

with less incomes and streaming services should look into being more user-friendly to those who

are used to using cable/satellite. I think that both services can learn from one another.
 Literature Review

The basis of my survey surrounds the recent surge in streaming services and whether we

can expect them to replace basic cable and satellite television. There are definite pros and cons to

both, but the ultimate factor lies in the hands of the younger consumers and which they prefer.

I was interested in this topic for my survey as someone who grew up with DirecTV

satellite in my household. I am now a college student and I truly cannot afford a traditional cable

plan. Netflix, Hulu, and Prime TV are very affordable and accessible in my opinion, especially

on my Roku streaming stick. The availability, portability, and affordability of all of these

streaming services is what appeals to me the most.

The reportative definition of a streaming service is one that sends audio or video in a

compressed form over the Internet and played right away, rather than being downloaded and

saved to a hard drive. If you were to ask a person on the street what their definition of a

streaming service was, they would probably list out companies such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube,

and Spotify. The operational definition would go into detail about the specific code and numbers

that go into the actual streaming.

The Pros and Cons

My initial research started with a simple Google search of “streaming services vs cable.”

The first articles that popped up gave good information on the cost breakdowns between the two

options. An article from Bankrate weighed some of the pros and cons, explaining that streaming

services are great for having on-demand video, but the consumer ends up losing out on live

television. With cable or satellite, the consumer has up to thousands of channels at their

fingertips, but the cost can get pricey, especially when many companies try to persuade their
customers into bundles with phone, internet, and television together. Many customers buy the

bundles, as it appears to be a deal, and they only use a couple of the services regularly. This

could cause customers to feel scammed by cable and satellite companies and perhaps make the

switch to streaming. Bankrate also stated that while streaming services have seen a definite

increase in users with almost 33 million adults ending their cable and satellite services, the

average revenue from a customer to the cable and satellite companies has increased by about 50

percent since 2007. This tells us that these companies are driving their prices up, leading more

consumers to “cut the cord.” (Garcia, 2018)

What Are the Demographics?

To research a bit further, I decided to narrow my search by looking up the statistics and

demographics of online streaming. According to the Pew Research Center, about 61 percent of

young adults aged 18 to 26 use streaming services as their primary form of television

consumption, while 31 percent stated theirs was cable or satellite. 59 percent of American adults

still use cable and satellite as their preferred means of watching. Women are more likely to

prefer cable and satellite over men (63 percent versus 55 percent). Americans with a college

education are more likely to stream versus buy cable or satellite, about 35 percent (Pew Research

Center, 2017). So, does the decision to make the switch lie in education and gender?

The Future of this Project

My goal for this project was to answer the question “Will streaming services replace

satellite and cable in the next 10 years?” My research questions to answer were:
1. Are cable/satellite viewers more likely to be older than streaming service viewers?
2. Are streaming service viewers more likely to be younger than cable/satellite viewers?

3. Are women more likely to watch streaming services than men?

4. Are men more likely to watch cable/satellite than women?

5. Are people with higher incomes more likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite than those

with lower incomes?

 Methods

The first part of my survey is a brief introduction and a consent question. If the

individual consents, the survey continues. My questions are sectioned in a way that only

certain questions will appear for certain groups. These groups are people who only use

cable/satellite, people who only use streaming services, people who use both services, and

people who use neither service. These sections are triggered by the answers to the first two

yes/no questions, asking the individual if they use cable/satellite and/or streaming services.

Each section then asks what the individual’s reasoning is for choosing one, both, or neither,

and which they would be more likely to use in the future, if any. The sections also ask about

how many hours per week each service is watched. The last questions include basic

demographic questions, such as age, race, ethnicity, gender, highest level of education,

region of residence, and average yearly income. After the survey is complete, a brief thank

you message will appear.

My method of sampling was a convenience sampling. I posted the survey on various

social media sites and sent the survey to family and friends. Individuals chose to participate

if they were willing. This was the best form of sampling for me since it was both time and

cost effective (as I work two jobs 35 hours a week and am a full-time student), while also

allowing to reach a wide audience. My hope was to survey at least 100 people. A downside

to convenience sampling is that it can be biased, but I am friends with a variety of people of

Facebook so it was not an issue.

 Many of my measures used in the questions are ordinal and interval, such as “Very

unsatisfied – Very satisfied” and “On a scale of 1 – 10” as well as questions using the

Likert-scale. Other questions are just simple “yes” or “no” questions. I did not run any

reliability tests.
 Results

In my research, I found that cable/satellite subscribers were likely to be older than

streaming service viewers. I also found that women were more likely to watch streaming services

than men, and men were more likely to watch cable/satellite. Lastly, I concluded that people with

higher incomes were more likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite.

1. Are cable/satellite viewers more likely to be older than streaming service viewers?
Age was found to have a statistically significant effect on cable/satellite watchers. A One-Way
ANOVA found that older people were more likely to be cable/satellite viewers (M= 1.53 , SD =
.501), F (22, 75) = 33, p= 0.026.

ANOVA

Are you subscribed to a traditional cable/satellite service? (DirecTV, Dish Network, Charter, etc...)

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 11.778 33 .357 1.732 .026

Within Groups 15.451 75 .206

Total 27.229 108

2. Are streaming service viewers more likely to be younger than cable/satellite viewers?

Age was found to have a statistically significant effect on streaming service watchers. A

One-Way ANOVA found that younger people were more likely to be streaming service viewers

(M = 1.13, SD = .338 ) F (21, 74) = 1.663, p= 0.036.

 ANOVA

Are you subscribed to a streaming service? (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, etc...)

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 5.500 33 .167 1.663 .036

Within Groups 7.417 74 .100

Total 12.917 107

3. Are women more likely to watch streaming services than men?

While gender itself was not statistically significant in streaming services [F (1, 107)= .328, p =

7.21], a One-Way ANOVA showed that women (M = 1.15, SD= 3.59) were more likely than

men (M= 1.09, SD= .294) to watch streaming services.

ANOVA

Are you subscribed to a streaming service? (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, etc...)

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups .079 2 .039 .328 .721

Within Groups 12.876 107 .120

Total 12.955 109

4. Are men more likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite than women?
Gender was found to be a statistically significant factor in watching cable/satellite [F (1, 108)=
3.699, p= .028]. A One-Way ANOVA showed that men (M = 1.74, SD = .449) were more likely
to watch cable/satellite than women (M = 1.45, SD = .500).

ANOVA

Are you subscribed to a traditional cable/satellite service? (DirecTV, Dish Network, Charter, etc...)

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 1.778 2 .889 3.699 .028

Within Groups 25.952 108 .240

Total 27.730 110

5. Are people with higher incomes more likely to be subscribed to cable/satellite than

those with lower incomes?

According to a crosstabulation, people with higher incomes ($50,000+) were more likely to be

subscribed to cable/satellite than those with lower incomes.

 Discussion

In my survey, I set out to find out people’s choices of paid entertainment, and whether it

could lead to streaming services overtaking traditional cable/satellite as the main provider of

television. I sent out my survey on multiple social media platforms for a convenience sample and

received 119 responses.

According to tests run, age was the biggest factor in whether people used cable/satellite

or streaming services. Most younger people forwent the traditional route and just went with

streaming services, while many older people either had both or just cable/satellite. A One-Way

ANOVA found that younger people were more likely to be streaming service viewers (M = 1.13,

SD = .338 ) F (21, 74) = 1.663, p= 0.036 and that older people were more likely to be

cable/satellite viewers (M= 1.53 , SD = .501), F (22, 75) = 33, p= 0.026. This is probably due to

income, as most older people have a more steady income than younger individuals. 39.3 percent

of participants make less than $30,000 a year and 42.8 percent of those individuals are under 25.

We can conclude that income and age have a bearing on whether or not people subscribe to

cable/satellite. This was a result that I was expecting, because as a young individual myself, I

find having cable/satellite to not be financially feasible.

These seemed to be the only significances, as race, and education had no bearing on

whether people chose to watch cable/satellite or streaming services. This tells me that the use of

streaming services is generational, which was not surprising to me at all.

The most commonly used streaming service among my participants was Netflix and the

most common cable/satellite provider was DirecTV. This was not surprising to me as they are

the most popular providers for both services. The mode of age was 21 years old (~24 percent)
and the most common race was Caucasian (~81 percent). The most common gender was female

(~73 percent) and the most common highest level of education was an undergraduate degree (37

percent).

When asked if they were subscribed to cable/satellite, 46.2 percent of participants said

yes while 51.3 percent said no. When asked if they used streaming services, 84 percent said yes

and 12.6 percent said no. The mode of hours watched a week was 25 hours for cable/satellite and

10 hours for streaming services. Of the participants who are not subscribed to cable/satellite,

30.3 percent said they were either likely or very unlikely to subscribe to cable/satellite in the

future and 9.2 percent said they were unsure.

In conclusion, according to age, most younger people are subscribed to only streaming

services while older people are subscribed to both. It can be inferred that if younger people are

subscribing to cable/satellite less, it is feasible that streaming services could replace them

looking ahead. This could mean that traditional cable/satellite providers need to change up their

platforms to appeal to younger people, or perhaps lower their prices to entice more people to

subscribe. This also means that streaming services will continue to increase their numbers of

subscribers, so they need to focus on maintaining those relationships and creating new ones with

people that have only used cable/satellite before.

 Works Cited

Garcia, Adrian D. “Cable TV vs. Streaming: Breaking Down The Costs.” Bankrate,

Bankrate.com, 19 July 2018,

www.bankrate.com/personal-finance/smart-money/cost-of-cable-tv-vs-internet-streaming/.

Pew Research Center. “61% Of Young Adults in U.S. Watch Mainly Streaming TV.” Pew

Research Center, Pew Research Center, 13 Sept. 2017,

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/13/about-6-in-10-young-adults-in-u-s-primarily-use-onl

ine-streaming-to-watch-tv/.
 Appendix

Transcript of survey:

Hello! I’m Danielle Brown. I’m a senior communication major at Mississippi State University

and I’m conducting a survey about peoples’ choices of paid entertainment. This survey is

completely anonymous and voluntary and can be stopped at any point. I appreciate your input.

Let’s get started!

Do you consent to your anonymous answers being used from this survey?

Yes

No

If no:

The survey will end and ‘Thank You’ message will appear.

If yes, survey continues:

Are you subscribed to a traditional cable/satellite service?

Yes/No

If yes, which provider(s)? Please list below. (write in)

Are you subscribed to at least one video streaming service? (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime,

etc…)
Yes/No

If yes, which streaming service(s) are you subscribed to? Please list below.

(write-in)

If yes to cable/satellite​:

About how many hours a week do you watch cable/satellite? Please write in

below.

If yes to streaming services:

About how many hours a week do you watch streaming services? Please write in

below.

If no to cable/satellite:

What is your reasoning for not subscribing to cable/satellite?

Too costly

Satisfied with current media consumption

Not easily accessible

Other: (write in)

How likely are you to subscribe to cable/satellite services in the future?

Very unlikely, Unlikely, Unsure, Likely, Very likely

If no to streaming services:

What is your reasoning for not subscribing to streaming services?

Too costly

Satisfied with current media consumption

Not easily accessible

Other: (write in)

How likely are you to subscribe to streaming services in the future?

Very unlikely, Unlikely, Unsure, Likely, Very likely

More questions asked to all participants​:

On a scale of 1 – 10, 1 being very unnecessary and 10 being very necessary, how necessary do

you find the need to be subscribed to both services?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
On a scale of 1 – 10, 1 being very dissatisfied and 10 being very satisfied, how satisfied are you

with your current way of media consumption?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

If you had to choose only one service to use, which would it be?

Cable/satellite

Streaming services

Demographics

What is your age?

17 or younger

18 – 20

21 – 29

30 – 29

49 – 49

50 – 59

60 or older

What is your race?

 White

Black or African-American

Native American or Alaskan Native

Asian

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

From multiple races

Other (please specify):

Prefer not to answer

What is your ethnicity?

Hispanic or Latino

Not Hispanic or Latino

What is your gender?

Male

Female

Other

Prefer not to answer

Where is your region of residence within the United States?

Northeast

Midwest
 South

West

Out of the United States

What is your highest level of education?

Some high school

High school diploma or GED

Some college but no degree

License or certification

Undergraduate degree (Associate, Bachelor)

Graduate degree (Masters, PhD)

What is your yearly average household income?

$0 – $9,999

$10,000 - $19,000

$20,000 - $39,999

$40,000 - $59,999

$60,000 - $79,999

$80,000 - $99,999

$100,000 +

After survey is complete:

Thank you so much for your participation in this survey. Your anonymous answers will be used

in a study conducted by Danielle Brown at Mississippi State University.