Comments on: Liberal vs. Conservative listening habits http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/ Roger Bourland writes about music and life Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:33:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Roger Bourland http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-81721 Roger Bourland Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:25:54 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-81721 All good questions Fred, one would "assume" that an organization with Lear's name on it would be trustworthy, but I may have been naiive to assume so. I posted this because the conclusions seemed so odd. Perhaps these questions need to go to the group that came up with these conclusions. I need to slap myself from time to time and be reminded that just because you find something on the internet doesn't necessarily mean it is true. All good questions Fred, one would “assume” that an organization with Lear’s name on it would be trustworthy, but I may have been naiive to assume so. I posted this because the conclusions seemed so odd. Perhaps these questions need to go to the group that came up with these conclusions.

I need to slap myself from time to time and be reminded that just because you find something on the internet doesn’t necessarily mean it is true.

]]> By: Fred_PA_2000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-81713 Fred_PA_2000 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:14:22 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-81713 I note that there are some responses that don't seem to match up with reality: Particularly, (1) I believe something like 96% of these respondents said they are likely to vote -- which looks very odd next to the 50% or so participation rates most U.S. elections draw; and (2) There's a claim (I don't recall whether it's just conservatives or the entire sample) that classical is the most popular music -- which will be a surprise to the U.S.'s struggling classical stations (and to her thriving pop, rock & country stations). There is a common problem in such surveys of people saying what they think is expected or desired of them, and that appears to have happened here. I would also be interested in how the political classifications were drawn. And whether that subject was probed before or after exploring the respondent's tastes in the arts. If before, it may well be leading self-classified conservatives or liberals to express the tastes they think they're supposed to have, rather than the ones they do. Brad Wood raises a good point; Are these social- or economic- liberals / conservatives? And Cantelou74's comment about access is very much to the point; How valid is someone's statement of preference for a genre he/she has never heard? Finally, Roger Bourland's comment about the Norman Lear Institute doing a responsible job might be seen by some as very much open to question; Mr. Lear's personal politics were pretty far to the Left, and I suspect he would not be happy with any survey result that portrayed Conservatives favorably or Liberals less so. I note that there are some responses that don’t seem to match up with reality: Particularly, (1) I believe something like 96% of these respondents said they are likely to vote — which looks very odd next to the 50% or so participation rates most U.S. elections draw; and (2) There’s a claim (I don’t recall whether it’s just conservatives or the entire sample) that classical is the most popular music — which will be a surprise to the U.S.’s struggling classical stations (and to her thriving pop, rock & country stations). There is a common problem in such surveys of people saying what they think is expected or desired of them, and that appears to have happened here.

I would also be interested in how the political classifications were drawn. And whether that subject was probed before or after exploring the respondent’s tastes in the arts. If before, it may well be leading self-classified conservatives or liberals to express the tastes they think they’re supposed to have, rather than the ones they do.

Brad Wood raises a good point; Are these social- or economic- liberals / conservatives? And Cantelou74’s comment about access is very much to the point; How valid is someone’s statement of preference for a genre he/she has never heard? Finally, Roger Bourland’s comment about the Norman Lear Institute doing a responsible job might be seen by some as very much open to question; Mr. Lear’s personal politics were pretty far to the Left, and I suspect he would not be happy with any survey result that portrayed Conservatives favorably or Liberals less so.

]]> By: Roger Bourland http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-79993 Roger Bourland Wed, 07 May 2008 05:55:10 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-79993 But wouldn't you think the Norman Lear Institute would do a responsible job? Well, I have to admit I choked on a few of the results myself, and that is partially why I posted it. I'll post the one from the year before which was also fairly surprising. But wouldn’t you think the Norman Lear Institute would do a responsible job? Well, I have to admit I choked on a few of the results myself, and that is partially why I posted it. I’ll post the one from the year before which was also fairly surprising.

]]> By: bassplaya26 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-79981 bassplaya26 Wed, 07 May 2008 04:19:22 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-79981 I find this highly unlikely, being a conservative who is a bassist & guitarist who plays jazz, rock, blues and reggae and I have traveled quite a bit. I know many conservatives in many different demographics who listen to jazz, classical as well as 'world music', although the point is well taken that the huge grouping of world music means many more fans could not like parts of each particular genre but still fall under world music. I love listening to swedish rock & jazz as well as german industrial - wonder if that counts. On a side note I don't know many of my conservative friends who listen to country, although according to Obama apparently all midwesterners listen to country in their religious gun-toting pick-ups. Lol, no bias in the media, my ass. I find this highly unlikely, being a conservative who is a bassist & guitarist who plays jazz, rock, blues and reggae and I have traveled quite a bit. I know many conservatives in many different demographics who listen to jazz, classical as well as ‘world music’, although the point is well taken that the huge grouping of world music means many more fans could not like parts of each particular genre but still fall under world music. I love listening to swedish rock & jazz as well as german industrial - wonder if that counts. On a side note I don’t know many of my conservative friends who listen to country, although according to Obama apparently all midwesterners listen to country in their religious gun-toting pick-ups. Lol, no bias in the media, my ass.

]]> By: Roger Bourland http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-77386 Roger Bourland Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:35:26 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-77386 Check out the link to the original article to learn more. It is a strange, strange bit of data. Check out the link to the original article to learn more. It is a strange, strange bit of data.

]]> By: cantelou74 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-77303 cantelou74 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:21:23 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-77303 Did this poll take access to musical styles into account? Did it take into account economic status and geographic location? If you had never heard something you would know to categorize as "world music," would you say that you "enjoy" it? And perhaps we should question a category that lumps Tibetan chant, Japanese drums, rai, Bulgarian singing and kora music all together. Did this poll take access to musical styles into account? Did it take into account economic status and geographic location? If you had never heard something you would know to categorize as “world music,” would you say that you “enjoy” it? And perhaps we should question a category that lumps Tibetan chant, Japanese drums, rai, Bulgarian singing and kora music all together.

]]> By: Brad Wood http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-77217 Brad Wood Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:50:34 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/04/21/liberal-vs-conservative-listening-habits/#comment-77217 It would be interesting to map the x-y plane that results from this http://www.electoralcompass.com/ to the multidimensional space of musical preferences. It would be interesting to map the x-y plane that results from this

http://www.electoralcompass.com/

to the multidimensional space of musical preferences.

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