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Americans Saw Average of Four Movies in Last Year

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

by Joseph Carroll

ÓÅÃÛ´«Ã½periodically asks Americans to estimate the total number of movies they have attended in a movie theater in the past year. The latest results, taken from Gallup's Dec. 5-8 poll, finds that Americans saw an average of four movies in a movie theater in the past 12 months. This includes 33% of Americans who say they haven't seen any movies in a theater, 42% who have seen between one and four films, and 24% who have seen five movies or more.

ÓÅÃÛ´«Ã½has been asking this question since 1988, and at that time, 45% of Americans said they had not seen a movie in a theater in the past year. By 1993, this percentage decreased slightly, to 37%. Since that time, only about a third of Americans have said they have not seen any movies in a movie theater in the last year. (The lone exception came in 2002, when this percentage dipped to 28%.)

Younger Americans More Likely to Go to the Movies Than Older Americans

The latest poll shows that younger Americans are significantly more likely than older Americans to go to the movies. On average, Americans aged 18 to 29 have been to seven films in a movie theater over the past year. This compares with four films among those aged 30 to 49, three movies among 50- to 64-year-olds, and two films among those aged 65 and older.

Just 12% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they haven't seen any movies in the past year. This percentage increases to 23% among 30- to 49-year-olds, 41% among 50- to 64-year-olds, and 64% among adults aged 65 and older.

Household Income Plays Role in Movie Attendance

Americans who live in higher-income households are more likely to go to the movies than are people living in lower-income households. Among those earning less than $30,000 per year, the average number of movies seen in a theater in the past year is two. The average for those earning between $30,000 and $75,000 per year is three movies and the average for those earning $75,000 or more per year is six movies.

Fifty-four percent of adults earning less than $30,000 per year say they have not been to a movie in the past year. This compares with 31% of those earning between $30,000 and $75,000 per year and just 13% of those earning $75,000 per year or more.

Other Differences?

Here are some additional findings from the December survey:

• There is no difference in movie attendance between men and women. Both men and women saw an average of four films in a theater this year.

• Republicans are just as likely as Democrats to go to the movies, people who identify with either party saw an average of four films in the last year.

• Americans living in urban and suburban communities saw more movies in the last year, on average, than those living in rural areas. Those living in urban and suburban areas saw an average of four movies in the last year, while those in rural areas saw an average of two films.