Poll: Do you watch television?

[Torrasque]

This poll needs more than a pure yes/no option.

Why? The poll asks if you watch TV, it doesn't ask if you watch it all the time or watch it once a week. It just asks if you watch TV.
Kind of like asking "do you breathe air?".
It doesn't matter if you breathe more than the average person or hold your breath all day, you still breathe air.

Because there's a pretty big difference between someone like me, who watches it once in a blue moon, and people like my parents, who watch it as their primary source of both news and entertainment? The air breathing analogy is a good one: almost no one categorically avoids watching TV. It's next to impossible. However, I'd say a good chunk of this site's userbase only watch a few shows, and otherwise use their TVs as glorified monitors.

I agree that there is a big difference between someone like you or I that watches it once a month maybe and your parents that watch TV all the time, but for the purposes of the poll I say keep it as yes/no.
Include a "I watch TV but..." or "I don't watch TV but..." if it makes you feel better. Including a "sort've" option just weakens the poll by opening up the options for "well I sorta do, but not really", "I do on thursdays every odd month", "only when good shows are on".

Get what I mean?

Well yeah, that's my point, though: the majority of the people who are voting no actually /do/ watch to some extent. If people were honestly answering the poll it would be, like, 90% yes. It's a big issue in social science: the way you word a poll influences the results more than anything else.

Yarp, I am well aware of that common mistake.
Most people will look at this as a scale and choose which they are leaning most towards, so the only people that choose "no" are the people who actually watch NO TV at all. Sadly, misconceptions like that are hard to fix.

 

[Sarah Frazier]

I used to watch TV all the time, but now I don't even give it a second thought.

 

[Callate]

By your definition, probably not. I watch Netflix a couple of times a week; I occasionally watch Hulu, or particular shows on Comedy Central's website. I occasionally watch educational television on PBS with my daughter, but that's about it.

How could I squander so much time on the forums if I was squandering it watching tv instead?

 

[FireAza]

Nope. If when it comes to choosing between commercial-riddled trash that won't allow me to choose when I want to watch it and won't let me pause either, VS choosing exactly what show I want to watch, when I want to watch it and without commercials, it's no wonder I didn't even plug the aerial into my new TV when I got it a few years ago.

 

[Deadyawn]

I hardly watch tv at all anymore. There's not much on it that I want to watch. Plus the endless adds and mindless dross that passes for entertainment on it make me want to stick my head in a pencil sharpener.

 

[Creator002]

Very rarely, unless you include those transferred to DVD. I watched tennis no less than 30 minutes ago, but I've been on the Escapist with my phone almost that entire time.

 

[Khada]

Not for years and I never will. I watch what I want, when I want, and I get my news from independent sources.

 

[theskadudeguy]

what else are you meant to do with a television? sit on it?

 

[JochemHippie]

Yes, usually the music channels I pay for and toddler television when I'm stoned.

 

[Zing]

I'm going to vote no, even though I do very occasionally, but I don't plan to watch shows like I used too. Occasionally I will turn it on to see if there's some reruns of something I like when I'm bored, but other than that, the convenience of downloading is obviously superior.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Not regularly but I have been known to watch some TV...but recently I've been too busy with Skyrim and, Final Fantasy VII...and Ocarina of Time. The last thing I watched on TV was Arthur yesterday and...shit, probably Superhero Squad a couple of weeks ago.

 

[falcon1985]

Why yes, I do. Until the first 15 minute commercial block, at which point I go into a bloodrage.

 

[TheCruxis]

If im bored and don't feel like gaming or doing anything else on my computer I watch TV, mostly Simpsons or Family Guy or something else not very serious. Sometimes also the occasional criminal drama or historical documentary. But I don't really follow any TV-series. If I want to do that I use the internet instead.

I do watch the news on TV mostly though. I know I can watch them online but its more of a habit. I would like to point out that if I had Netflix then maybe I wouldn't watch TV at all but as far as I know Netflix is thus far only avaliable in North America, UK and Ireland.

 

[wintercoat]

I haven't watched T.V. in about 2 years.

 

[FireAza]

what else are you meant to do with a television? sit on it?

That, or you could:
1) Play video games on it
2) Watch a DVD on it
3) Watch a Blu-ray on it
4) Hook up a home theatre PC to it and watch downloaded videos on it.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I used to as a kid (I was a right couch potato) but rarely these days.

I don't have that channel cable in my room so I can't watch lived shows with my tv. I have to watch it from the living room to watch it but my parent are very chatty.
I would check the Sky channels every now and then when my parent are off to work however they stop they subscriptions with Sky. We only got the Freeview channels which pretty much sucks.

I would like to watch stuff from the tv again so that I ain't always glue to the pc screen (well I guess I trading one glued place to another).

 

[A Free Man]

Yes. But usually not for T.V shows. I only really watch T.V for sport and for movies/DVDs.

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

Keep airing Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia and I'll keep watching.
Maybe I don't fully understand the question, if its what I think it is, then yes I still watch TV.

 

[mental_looney]

Yeah it's on sometimes when i'm playing wow in the house alone or doing cleaning or cooking or something

 

[RickyRich]

I watch the news everyday, mainly because that is all that is on TV at the gym.

That doesn't count I'm talking about making the effort and switching the tv to a show. I haven't switched from video 1 (where my 360 is located) in 2 years.

Well, I also watch Family Guy and football quite a bit, so I guess that'll count.