When it comes to consuming cable television or satellite television programming, more Americans are cutting the cord, according to research by the Pew Research Center.
“The share of Americans who say they watch television via cable or satellite has plunged from 76% in 2015 to 56% this year,” wrote Lee Rainie, in the Pew report. “Some 71% of those who do not use cable or satellite services say it’s because they can access the content they want online, while 69% say the cost of cable and satellite services is too high and 45% say they do not often watch TV.”
The drop in subscribers of cable news and shows arose amid a surge in popularity with online-based applications, such as Netflix and Hulu. The Pew data shows that as many as 76 percent of Americans surveyed had been frequent consumers of cable or satellite television at home, over half a decade ago. That number tanked to 56 percent in 2020, according to the Pew report.
“The decline in cable and satellite TV subscribers since 2015 shows up across the demographic spectrum (see detailed table). The trends among different age groups are particularly striking,” the Pew authors wrote in their report.
The biggest drop in cable subscribers occurred among adults in younger age ranges, while elderly people aged 65 and older were less likely to drastically cut the cable cord.
The Pew Research Center is a US-based think tank devoted to public opinion polling, demographic analysis, and social science research.
