AMERICANS are raving about foreign entertainment – without even knowing that some of their favorite content comes from abroad.
Television and book fans have unknowingly embraced international content at an ever-increasing rate.
Americans are consuming more than 50 percent more internationally produced TV shows and books than they did five years ago, according to a recent study.
The survey of 2,000 Americans who read regularly found that not only have international TV shows and books become increasingly popular recently, but Americans are often unaware that they are consuming and enjoying foreign content.
Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by economics booksthe survey revealed that 48% of the TV programs and 46% of the books that respondents consume are of international origin.
However, when asked, more than half of respondents (64%) incorrectly guessed that the popular show “The Office” was originally American.
And many had no idea that “House of Cards” (62%), “Jane the Virgin” (60%) and “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (57%) debuted internationally before coming to America.
The knowledge gap isn’t limited to TV shows. More than six in 10 (68%) had no idea that “The Parent Trap” was written by a foreign author, 58% did not know that “All Quiet on the Western Front” is not a novel in English, and the same with “Like Water for Chocolate” (44%).
But regardless of the knowledge gap, respondents generally appreciate international content and a third even said that their favorite book of all time is an international title.
Not surprisingly, younger generations are the most enthusiastic: Gen Z (42%) and Millennials (40%) were more likely to prefer international content than Gen X (28%) and baby boomers ( 21%).
But age aside, more than four in 10 (41%) believe that international content is of higher quality than content produced in the United States.
Respondents’ reasoning for this includes that international content is more interesting (48%), creative (43%), and original (38%).
A quarter even said that international content is more representative of real life than content produced in the United States.
However, when looking for a new TV show to watch or a book to read, older generations have proven to be the most open-minded to international content, with 73% of baby boomers and 61% of generation X saying who are not skeptical, compared to 49% of Gen X and 48% of Gen Y.
“It’s exciting to see how consumers are embracing international content,” said Barbara Hagen, vice president of marketing at ThriftBooks.
“According to the survey, people who read international books said it gave them more perspective and awareness about other cultures (50%) and a desire to travel more (29%). In the study, it is also very interesting to see how the Interest in the manga genre has grown in recent years.”
Of the 2,000 readers interviewed, the survey asked 500 manga readers about their reading habits and reasons for liking the genre.
The average manga reader read their first manga novel at age 17, although Gen Z discovered manga as the oldest of all generations at age 13 on average.
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And more than half of manga readers (54%) said their favorite book is a manga, with both men and women agreeing on this: 56% of men said a manga novel is their favorite read, and 53% of women reported the same.
Resolving a heated debate, manga lovers listed “Attack on Titan”, “Berserk”, “Death Note”, “Demon Slayer”, “Dragon Ball Z”, “Naruto” and “One Piece” as some of the best manga in all the time.
And for those who don’t already read manga, 53% reported that they are open to reading it in the future because it looks interesting (27%), it is becoming increasingly popular (23%), and they have become more interested in the manga. oriental culture and content in general (22%).
“The rise of manga is a great example of how international content and books have positively impacted consumers. And it’s also great to see how open non-manga readers are to exploring the genre,” said Hagen.
“If you haven’t done so recently, we encourage readers to explore different perspectives by choosing a book by a foreign author. Manga, in particular, can open your eyes to a whole new world and level of enjoyment while reading.”
Research methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 1,500 Americans who read manga regularly and 500 who read manga regularly; The survey was commissioned by ThriftBooks and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 1 and 8, 2024.
We are obtaining from a non-probabilistic framework and the two main sources we use are:
- Traditional online access panels – where respondents choose to participate in online market research as an incentive
- Programmatic – where respondents are online and have the option to participate in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are involved in
Those who did not fit into the specified sample were excluded from the research. As the survey is administered, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to meet quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.
Regardless of the sources the respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents received points for completing the survey. These points have a small monetary value equivalent to cash.
Cells are only reported for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. The data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are established to achieve the desired sample.
Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they fail quality check measures. That includes:
- Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in less than a third of the average interview length are disqualified as speeders
- Open Ends: All verbatim answers (complete open-ended questions as well as other options, please specify) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
- Bots: Captcha is enabled in surveys, which allows the survey team to identify and disqualify bots
- Duplicates: Survey software has fingerprint-based “deduplication,” which ensures no one can take the survey more than once
It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story