TV Viewers are Distracted

U.S. TV viewers increasingly are "distracted" while watching TV, a survey by the Harris Poll indicates. Most Americans also surf the Internet (56 percent) and many do other activities like read a book, magazine or newspaper (44 percent), go on a social networking site (40 percent) or text on their mobile phone (37 percent).

Three in ten say they shop online while watching TV (29 percent). Some seven percent say they have read a book on an eReader device while watching TV while 44 percent they have read a traditional book, magazine or newspaper while watching TV.

Some 56 percent report they have surfed the Internet on a tablet computer while watching TV, 18 percent saying they have done so on their mobile phone.

Some 30 percent of respondents say they do something else while watching TV, while 14 percent say they do not do any other activity while they watch TV.

That does not conclusively suggest that TV has become less compelling, but likely more that other pursuits have become equally compelling. The availability of other convenient devices also suggests there is limited room to create "Internet experiences" on the TV. People already have lots of ways to do that without messing around with their TV screens.

TABLE 1

ACTIVITIES DONE WHILE WATCHING TV

"Which of the following, if any, do you ever do while watching TV? Please select all that apply.

While I watch television I also…"

Base: All U.S. adults

	Total	Age				Gender		Education
		18-34	35-44	45-54	55+	Male	Female	H.S. or less	Some college	College grad +
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Surf the Internet using a computer	56	68	59	55	45	53	59	52	57	62
Read a book, magazine or newspaper	44	42	41	44	47	37	51	35	50	51
Go on a social networking site (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)	40	57	47	36	21	34	45	33	44	46
Text on my mobile phone	37	57	46	38	14	35	39	28	41	47
Shop online	29	40	33	27	19	27	31	22	31	39
Surf the Internet using my mobile phone	18	30	23	15	6	20	16	10	19	29
Read a book on an eReader device (e.g. Kindle, Nook)	7	6	8	9	7	6	9	5	10	9
Surf the Internet on a tablet computer (e.g. iPad, Xoom)	7	7	13	4	5	8	6	6	5	11
Something else	30	32	26	28	30	26	33	26	33	32
None	14	8	12	16	20	18	11	19	12	10
Not applicable - I do not watch television	3	5	3	2	2	4	2	3	2	4

Harris Interactive: Harris Polls > Distracted TV Viewers