Raleigh,
N.C. – Day two of
PPP’s music-centric poll finds a partisan divide in the favorability ratings of
many of the biggest music stars of the past several decades. Voters
overall have extremely favorable reviews
of Elvis Presley (73-14), The Beatles (76-15), The Rolling Stones (61-26) and
the Beach Boys (74-16). They’re split on
Michael Jackson who holds a 48-44 favorability rating. Kurt Cobain is viewed
favorably by just 25% while 44% say they have an unfavorable opinion of the
late grunge icon. And a majority of voters view Madonna unfavorably (36-51).
When asked who is their favorite Beatle, 41% of voters choose Paul McCartney,
29% say John Lennon, 12% pick Ringo Starr and 11% go for George Harrison.
There’s
a partisan divide for many of these ratings, however. There’s a massive
54-point party divide on Michael Jackson – Democrats have a favorable view of
him at 59-30, Republicans are flipped and view him unfavorably by a 34-59
margin. The same with Madonna – Democrats narrowly view her favorably (43-41)
while Republicans strongly dislike her (21-68). The party disagreements even
extend to Favorite Beatle – Democrats choose John over Paul (39-36) while
Republicans strongly prefer Paul over John (49-15) – it seems Republicans still
haven’t forgiven Lennon for his strong political activism. Overall, Democrats
(84-10) like The Beatles more than Republicans (66-24).
When
asked what they thought was the best decade for music, Republicans chose the
1950s as their favorite decade and Democrats the 1960s. Overall, fully 75% of
voters said the best decade of music was either the 50s, 60s or 70s.
Just 14%
of voters admit they have illegally downloaded music from the internet, while
86% claim to have not.
We also asked voters which of the following musicians who’ve
passed away would like to have back the most among Kurt Cobain, Jimi
Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, John
Lennon,
Freddie Mercury, Jim Morrison and Elvis Presley. Hendrix received the
most votes with 21%, with Whitney Houston at 17% followed by Elvis with
16%, John Lennon at 14%, Michael Jackson at 11%, Freddie Mercury at 8%,
and Cobain, Joplin and Morrison in single digits. Here too though there
was another party divide – Democrats most often chose Whitney Houston
(25%) while Republicans want Elvis (30%). Most young voters (27%)
picked Cobain.
PPP surveyed 571 voters nationwide on May 6th and 7th.
The margin of error is +/-4.1%. This poll was
not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP
surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Elvis Presley?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 73%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 14%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of The Beatles?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 76%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 15%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of The Rolling Stones?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 61%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 26%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of The Beach Boys?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 74%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 16%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%
Q5 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Michael Jackson?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 48%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%
Q6 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Madonna?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 36%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 51%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q7 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Kurt Cobain?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 25%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 44%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 31%
Q8 Do you think drugs make someone a better
musician, or not?
They do………………………………………………….. 17%
They do not…………………………………………….. 83%
Q9 Who is your favorite Beatle: John Lennon, Paul
McCartney, George Harrison, or Ringo Starr?
John Lennon…………………………………………… 29%
Paul McCartney ………………………………………. 41%
George Harrison ……………………………………… 11%
Ringo Starr……………………………………………… 12%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%
Q10 In your opinion, which decade had the best
music: the ’50s, the ’60s, the ’70s, the ’80s, the
’90s, 2000-2009, or the current decade?
The ’50s …………………………………………………. 18%
The ’60s …………………………………………………. 32%
The ’70s …………………………………………………. 25%
The ’80s …………………………………………………. 15%
The ’90s …………………………………………………. 6%
2000-2009………………………………………………. 2%
Current decade ……………………………………….. 3%
Q11 Have you ever illegally downloaded music, or
not?
Have ……………………………………………………… 14%
Have not ………………………………………………… 86%
Q12 Among the following rock stars who have
passed away, who would you most like to have
back: Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney
Houston, Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, John
Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Jim Morrison, Elvis
Presley, or someone else?
Kurt Cobain…………………………………………….. 6%
Jimi Hendrix ……………………………………………. 21%
Whitney Houston …………………………………….. 17%
Michael Jackson ……………………………………… 11%
Janis Joplin…………………………………………….. 4%
John Lennon…………………………………………… 14%
Freddie Mercury………………………………………. 8%
Jim Morrison …………………………………………… 3%
Elvis Presley …………………………………………… 16%
Someone else/Not sure ……………………………. 0%
Q13 Do you think Elvis Presley is still alive, or not?
He is alive ………………………………………………. 11%
He is dead………………………………………………. 87%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 2%
Q14 Which, in your opinion, is the greatest
songwriting partnership of all time: Elton John
and Bernie Taupin, Holland-Dozier-Holland,
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Jimmy Page and
Robert Plant, John Lennon and Paul
McCartney, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards,
Morrissey and Johnny Marr, Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein, or someone else?
Elton John & Bernie Taupin……………………….. 14%
Holland-Dozier-Holland…………………………….. 5%
Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller………………………… 3%
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant………………………. 7%
John Lennon & Paul McCartney ………………… 30%
Mick Jagger & Keith Richards……………………. 6%
Morrissey & Johnny Marr ………………………….. 0%
Rodgers & Hammerstein…………………………… 19%
Someone else…………………………………………. 17%
Q15 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%
Q16 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 39%
Republican……………………………………………… 35%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 26%
Q17 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If other, press 4.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 13%
White …………………………………………………….. 71%
African-American …………………………………….. 11%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%
Q18 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 16%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 24%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 40%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
Q19 Do you live in the Northeast, the Midwest, the
South, or the West?
Northeast ……………………………………………….. 27%
Midwest …………………………………………………. 24%
South …………………………………………………….. 30%
West………………………………………………………. 19%
