Fluff News: iPods More Popular than Beer with Undergrads
Jun 8th, 2006 | By James Lewin | Category: iPods & Portable Media Players, Strange 
In case you were wondering, iPods are hotter than even beer drinking among undergraduate college students, according to the latest biannual market research study by Ridgewood, N.J.-based Student Monitor.73 percent of the 1,200 students surveyed said iPods were “in” — more than any other item in a list that also included text messaging, bar hopping and downloading music. This is a big jump since last year’s survey, when only 59 percent of students named the iPod as “in,” putting the gadget well below alcohol-related activities.
The only other time beer was dethroned, in the 18 years of the survey, was in 1997, by the Internet, said Eric Weil, a managing partner at Student Monitor.
Though beer may soon regain its No. 1 spot, as it quickly did a decade ago, the iPod’s popularity is still “a remarkable sign,” Weil said. “For those who believe there’s an excessive amount of drinking on campus, now there’s something else that’s common on campuses.”Student Monitor conducted the survey the week of March 6, interviewing full-time undergraduate students at 100 U.S. colleges. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
