1Report on research project into the TV-watching habits of school students.
The purpose of this research was to find out how many hours of TV students watch in a typical week. It also aimed to find out what kind of programmes they watch. In adition, it looked at the kind of programmes watched by male and female students to find out if there was any difference in their preferences.
2We carried out the research by interviewing students in the target group – school students aged 14-18, both male and female. We spoke to students from a number of different schools in five different cities. We interviewed 120 students in total, 60 boys and 60 girls.
3We asked all the interviewees the same questions. First, we asked them if they have a TV in their bedroom as well as the main TV in the house; then if they usually watch TV alone or with their family. Next, we asked what kind of TV programmes they like and how many hours of TV they watch in a typical week. After that, we asked how many hours they spend watching TV on school days (Monday to Friday) and how many hours at the weekend. Finally, we asked how many hours they spend watching the different kinds of programmes.
4We found that 60% of interviewees have a TV in their bedroom and most watch it alone. On school days, 40% of boys and 50% of girls watch TV for two hours or more, mostly between 6.00 and 9.00 p.m. Only 20% of boys and 15% of girls watch less than one hour. However, at weekends, 60% of boys and 70% of girls watch more than two hours a day, in the morning and in the evenings. Boys prefer to watch sport, cartoons and music programmes, whereas girls prefer to watch soaps, dramas and music. Only 18% of boys and 16% of girls say they watch news regularly. However, more girls than boys watch documentaries.
5Our research shows that the best time for TV advertisements aimed at young people in this age group is between 6.00 and 9.00 p.m. on weekdays, and in the mornings. In addition, advertisers whose target market is mainly girls should aim to place their ads between soaps, dramas, and music programmes. If the target market is boys, they should place ads between sport, cartoons, and music programmes.
