TV usage in Kalamazoo College Dormitories

Our research project was attempting to find information about the usage of TV's in Kalamazoo College dorms. We did research about the size and type of TV, as well as main purpose and number of regular users. Our results had a few surprises, as well as a few expected results.

First, we were surprised to find that only 56% of the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors that we surveyed had a TV in their room (or common room if they were living in a suite). Personally, I was expecting that number to be more like 80%. When asked about their lack of TV, many participants responded that they simply watched their favorite shows on the internet. This perhaps indicated a growing trend of abstaining from buying a TV in favor of watching shows on websites such as hulu.com. If true, this would be bearish news for companies whose bottom lines are dependent on TV sales, such as Sony, LG, Samsung, etc.

We found a few relationships that may or may not be surprising. We found that men are more likely to have a larger TV than women. We also found that the larger rooms with televisions, such as those in Chrissy and DeWaters, were more likely to use the TV for movies, as opposed to videogames and cable television. Finally, we found that the most popular brand for TV's were often the most expensive. As illustrated by the graph, Sony, a premium brand, was the most popular choice, followed closely by Samsung, another expensive brand.




Based on the about findings of our research, one might be able to conclude that companies that produce lower-end TV's will face headwinds in the coming years if this trend continues.