A study conducted by Annenberg’s Normal Lear Center and Zogby International surveyed the entertainment choices of over 3,000 politically Red, Blue, and Purple peeps across the country. The goal was to see if there’s a connection (and there is) between the life of a consumer and the life of a citizen. Peeps were asked to reveal how they opt to waste their time (radio? TV? Internet? video games?); what TV shows they watch; what social networks they belong to; what websites they visit; what brand of underwear they prefer—you get the idea.

The study may seem all voyeur-ish and fun, but as Johanna Blakley, the deputy director of the Norman Lear Center, points out, “it’s not like this hasn’t been done before . . . my sense is that campaigns have been doing this kind of polling forever.” This difference here, she goes on to point out, is that the results have been made public.

For once, we get to see what kind of data is informing the direction and approach of the current presidential campaigns. These results determine the means used to reach their target demographic. For instance, if we wanted a Red to know all about McCain’s ties to the Keating Five, we’d air a relevant political ad during a Chuck Norris marathon. (For reals.)

But why would we waste time targeting a loyal Red or Blue, when there are so many undecided Purples out there? They are the trophy group the candidates are vying to steal from each other, so the big question is: What does this study tell us about the Purps?

TV is the way to go to reach these folks. Running ads during programs such as CSI, Law and Order, and Criminal Minds (hmm…a trend here?) will get plenty of Purple eyeballs. Reality shows and Fox news don’t score high with this group—guess the Purps don’t dig cheap television. (Zing!) They bow down to Oprah, dig sports, and are big-time Internet users. Except when it comes to blogs. The Purps apparently don’t like blogs. (No offense taken.)

Interesting findings: 70% of Purps blame Washington for our current political upheaval and 87% think men and women should share household duties equally. I wonder how much of this will translate into support for, oh gee-gosh-golly-whaddya know, an everyday working hockey mom from Wasilla who happens to be a Washington newcomer? Ruh-roh!

But no need to worry, as Blakley points out:

[The Purples] are definitely in the middle of the spectrum, but I think they’re more like the blues than the reds. More are registered Democrats . . . [As for Palin], sometimes she was not in a good position vis-á-vis the Purple group. On some issues, the Purples are far too liberal to like the politics of Sarah Palin.

These issues include the economy, the war in Iraq, a woman’s right to choose, and the environment. The Purples lean more toward the Reds on issues such as the integration of evolution into science curriculum (!), the need for reduced taxes, the elimination of affirmative action, and the sacredness of a “traditional” marriage.

Other fun findings:

• The red group’s favorite board game? Guess.
• Reds blame the news media for this country’s political upheaval. (Oy.)
• A majority of Reds never graduated from college, are probably married, and live in rural areas.
• Cheers! Blues are the biggest drinkers of wines and beer.
• Blues think MySpace, like omigod totally you guys, doesn’t hold a flame to Facebook.
• Blues are young, college-educated, and racially diverse.

Want to know more? Check out all the survey findings here. It’s good times, I promise.

Tags: blue red purple, entertainment preferences, Norman Lear Center, study, survey