By, NEW YORK, United Press International, Inc.
More than 5-in-10 U.S. adults say they’d rather be in-the-know about the news than be a sports buff, fashionista or celebrity watcher, a survey says.
A Wakefield Research survey of about 1,000 U.S. adults commissioned by Next Issue Media found 56 percent said they believed they were more knowledgeable about current events compared to their friends.
However, to appear well-informed, some people will go as far as lying. More than 1-in-3 said they pretended to know about a news story to impress someone else.
Seventy percent of Americans will find any opportunity to argue with their friends about what’s in the news regardless of topic, but 49 percent said politics was the primary subject for debate with others. Sports came in second with 32 percent, followed by award show results at 13 percent and 12 percent for fashion trends.
Ninety-four percent of Americans said they discussed current events with their family and 82 percent said they discussed current events topics frequently.
Sixty-eight percent of employed Americans said they felt keeping up on current events was important to their career and 52 percent based important financial decisions on something they’ve read.
During an average week, 58 percent of U.S. men spent more time reading sports news than they did playing sports or exercising.
Americans consumed an average of three news media sources on a daily basis; but the younger generation, ages 18-24, consumed four or more sources.
The survey was conducted May 7-14. No margin of error was provided.