We used data from the General Social Survey to build this chart, plotting incomes and hours of TV watched on one graph. In order to ensure a large enough sample size for the TV portion of the data set, we compiled income and hours of TV data from the surveys between 2008-2012.
Income as defined by the GSS is total family income: the total incomes of each person who lives in a household and is related. To acertain the amount of TV watched, the people conducting the survey asked respondents, “On the average day, about how many hours do you personally watch television?”
Responses varied in the original data set from 0-24 hours. We grouped those responses into the following categories: 0 hours, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours and 5+ hours per day.*
Help with research was provided by Dr. Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey and Senior Fellow at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Source: General Social Surveys of NORC at the University of Chicago.
*Correction: An earlier version of this story misrepresented the way we grouped the data points. The text has been corrected to reflected the correct methodology.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
