Shark Week Survey: Some Americans Don't Get the Hype

This week, millions of Americans will gather around their TVs to witness the Discovery Channel’s annual celebration of the ocean’s scariest creatures: Shark Week.

Shark Week Hype

There is a lot of hype surrounding Shark Week each year, but why? In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 36.8% of respondents said that it’s because people simply like learning about sharks. 32.1% said people like Shark Week because they like being scared, 29.4% said it’s because Shark Week has become trendy, 26.9% said it’s because people like shows about animals, and 22.9% said it’s because people like educational shows. 30.1% said they have no idea why anyone likes Shark Week, and only 6.5% said they don’t think anyone really likes Shark Week.

Or Not?

While it seems to be a common agreement that people like watching Shark Week, the majority of AYTM.com’s respondents, 56.2%, said they are not interested in it at all. Only 8.2% said they will watch as many shark shows as possible during Shark Week, 19.7% said they might catch a few shows, and 15.9% said they’ll only watch if there’s nothing else on.

Other TV Trends

So if many people are not watching Shark Week, what are they watching instead? 45% of respondents said they regularly watch dramatic shows, 43% watch sitcoms, 31.6% watch reality shows, 31.3% watch educational shows, and 25.1% watch sports.With so many different types of programming to choose from, it’s no wonder Americans are spending more and more time in front of the TV. Only 7% of respondents said they don’t really watch TV, while 17.9% watch TV for 1-5 hours per week, 22.1% watch TV 6-12 hours per week, 21.1% watch TV for 13-20 hours per week, and 31.8% watch TV for 20 or more hours per week.For some Americans, Shark Week is one of the most anticipated TV events of the year. Yet some others just don’t see the appeal. One thing is for certain, though. There is no shortage of television options for all interests. Will Americans continue to be captivated by Shark Week, or will they just move onto the next big television event once it comes along?Photo Credit: Shark Week approaches in Silver Spring from Flickr