Trusted
Valued
Essential
Today’s PBS
2015
Working collaboratively with our more than 350 independently owned
and operated local member stations, PBS provides the American public
with top-quality content and educational services that reach people
anywhere they are – meeting our mission to provide universal access in
innovative ways that seize the opportunities made possible by digital
technology.
Across genres and across platforms, PBS and local stations tell smart,
engaging stories that invite people from every walk of life to explore
new places, new ideas and new experiences – all of which have inspired
the American public to name PBS the country’s most trusted public
institution and an excellent use of tax dollars, outranked only by
military defense, for 12 consecutive years.
Public media is made possible through a singular public-private
partnership that combines critical seed money from the federal
government with funds from corporations, foundations and of course,
viewers. Donations from viewers to their local stations are the single
largest source of funding for our system.
For more information about how PBS and local stations deliver
outstanding return on investment to the nation, visit valuepbs.org.
This report presents the results of a national survey conducted by ORC International’s DualFrame CARAVAN in January 2015. The ORC International study included 1,010
adults, 18 years of age and older, who participated by phone January 9-18, 2015. Results were weighted to be statistically representative of the adult U.S. population.
A TRUSTED & VALUED PUBLIC INSTITUTION
PBS is #1 in public trust
How much do you trust each organization?
Percent saying they trust the organization “a great deal” (on a 4-point scale: a great deal, somewhat, not very much, not at all).
48%
PBS
24%
Courts of Law
21%
Commercial Broadcast TV
20%
Digital Content Sources
Newspaper Publishers
13%
Federal Government
11%
Commercial Cable TV
9%
Congress
7%
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
86
OVER THE COURSE OF 1 YEAR
% OF ALL
U.S. TELEVISION
HOUSEHOLDS
WATCH PBS
Source: Nielsen NPower, 9/23/2013–9/21/2014
IN 2014 AMERICANS
VIEWED MORE THAN
4.5 BILLION
VIDEOS ACROSS ALL
PBS DIGITAL PLATFORMS
Source: Google Analytics, January–December 2014
1
A TRUSTED & VALUED PUBLIC INSTITUTION
PBS provides excellent
value for tax dollars
For each of the following services that are funded using
tax dollars, please rate the value that you receive.
Percent saying each institution is an “excellent” value for the dollar
(on a 4-point scale: excellent, good, not too good, poor).
26%
Military Defense
PBS
21%
Federal Aid to
College Students
12%
Overseeing Food Safety
12%
Social Security
11%
Overseeing Drug Safety
11%
9%
Environmental Protection
8%
Highways/Roads/Bridges
Agricultural Subsidies
7%
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
IN THE 2013-14 SEASON
211 MILLION
PEOPLE WATCHED THEIR
LOCAL PBS STATION
Source: Nielsen NPower, 9/23/2013–9/21/2014
PBS
IS THE
5
NETWORK AMONG
TH MOST-WATCHED
ALL OF BROADCAST & CABLE
Source: Nielsen Live+7, HH Total US AA%, M-S 8p-11p; 9/23/2013-9/21/2014
2
A TRUSTED & VALUED PUBLIC INSTITUTION
PBS is money well spent
Is the money given to PBS stations from government, corporations
and individuals money well spent?
81%
16%
YES
NO
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
PBS is #1 in importance
How important is it that each of the following types of television is available?
Percent saying each type of television is “very important” (on a 4-point scale: very important, somewhat
important, not too important, not at all important).
58%
32%
25%
PBS
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
EACH MONTH MORE THAN
PBS DIGITAL PLATFORMS OFFER MORE THAN
PEOPLE VISIT PBS ONLINE
HOURS OF FREE
33 MILLION
Source: Google Analytics, January–December 2014
7,000 & 22,000
NATIONAL CONTENT
HOURS OF FREE
LOCAL CONTENT
3
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS is the #1
educational media brand
Which of the following media brands or companies provides the most
educational content to its viewers?
25%
PBS
21%
Discovery
16%
National Geographic
14%
History
4%
Animal Planet
3%
ABC
3%
TLC
HGTV
2%
CBS
2%
Travel
2%
A&E
2%
Food
1%
TBS
1%
NBC
1%
AMC
1%
TNT
1%
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
MORE THAN
1.6 MILLION
EDUCATORS & STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO
100K+ DIGITAL
RESOURCES ON
PBSLEARNINGMEDIA.ORG,
A FORMAL PREK-12 EDUCATION SITE
95
MORE THAN
MEMBER
% OFSTATIONS
ARE
ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN
EDUCATION THROUGH
LOCALIZED PBS
LEARNINGMEDIA SITES
4
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS is an innovative
media organization
For each organization, how innovative do you consider each to be?
Percent saying “very innovative/somewhat innovative” (on a 4-point scale: very innovative, somewhat
innovative, not very innovative, not at all innovative)
Digital Content Sources
39%
(such as Netflix, YouTube & Amazon)
33%
PBS
Commercial Broadcast TV
Commercial Cable TV
Newspaper Publishers
55%
21%
74%
56%
13%
88%
75%
54%
18%
■ Very Innovative
80%
41%
62%
49%
■ Somewhat Innovative
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
PBS STATIONS IN MORE THAN 30 STATES
PARTNERED WITH MORE THAN 1,400
COMMUNITY
LEADERS, LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS & SCHOOLS
TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED ON THE PATH FROM
PRESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
PBS HAS MORE THAN
12.5 MILLION
FOLLOWERS ACROSS 10 DIFFERENT
SOCIAL NETWORKS INCLUDING
FACEBOOK, GOOGLE+, TUMBLR,
TWITTER & YOUTUBE
5
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS KIDS is the #1
educational media brand
for children
Which of the following TV/media brands do you believe is the most
educational for children?
Percent saying each brand/company is “most educational” for children.
44%
PBS KIDS
21%
Discovery Family
Disney
6%
Sprout
6%
Nickelodeon
6%
Disney Jr.
Nick Jr.
Cartoon Network
Disney XD
5%
4%
2%
1%
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
6
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS helps prepare children
for success in school & life
How much do you agree with the statement that ____ helps prepare children for success in
school and in life?
Percent saying “agree strongly/agree somewhat” (on a 4-point scale: agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat,
disagree strongly).
83%
PBS
52%
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
51%
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
PBS REACHES MORE
KIDS 2-5 YEARS
OLD & MORE MOMS WITH
KIDS UNDER 6
77%
OF ALL KIDS
AGES 2–8
WATCH PBS
THAN ANY OTHER KIDS TV NETWORK
Source: Nielsen NPower, 9/23/2013–9/22/2014
7
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS helps children
learn reading, math &
essential skills
How much do you agree with the statement that _____ helps children
improve their reading and math skills?
Percent saying “agree strongly/agree somewhat”(on a 4-point scale: agree strongly, agree
somewhat, disagree somewhat, disagree strongly).
88%
57%
53%
PBS
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
CHILDREN WHO USED PBS KIDS MATH CONTENT
IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY
IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF EARLY
MATHEMATICS SKILLS COMPARED TO
CHILDREN WHO DID NOT USE THE CONTENT
Source: Pasnik, S., & Llorente, C. (2013). Preschool Teachers Can Use a PBS KIDS Transmedia Curriculum
Supplement to Support Young Children’s Mathematics Learning: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
8
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS KIDS curriculum provides content
that addresses essential skills
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) LITERACY
SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CAT IN THE HAT
SUPER WHY!
DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD
DINOSAUR TRAIN
SESAME STREET
SESAME STREET
CURIOUS GEORGE
MARTHA SPEAKS
ARTHUR
SESAME STREET
WORDGIRL
CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG
SID THE SCIENCE KID
THE ELECTRIC COMPANY
THOMAS & FRIENDSTM
CAILLOU
WILD KRATTS
PEG + CAT
ODD SQUAD
PRESCHOOLERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A
PBS KIDS MEDIA-RICH CURRICULUM
OUTSCORED THEIR PEERS
WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE CURRICULUM ON
ALL TESTED MEASURES OF EARLY LITERACY, SUCH
AS NAMING LETTERS & KNOWING THEIR SOUNDS
Source: Penuel, W.R., Pasnik, S., Bates, L., Townsend, E., Gallagher, L.P., Llorente, C., and Hupert, N. (2009). Preschool teachers
can use a media-rich curriculum to prepare low income children for school success: Results of a randomized controlled trial
9
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS KIDS is #1 in innovation
How much do you agree with the statement that _____ is the innovator in children’s
educational media?
Percent saying “agree strongly/agree somewhat” (on a 4-point scale: agree strongly, agree somewhat,
disagree somewhat, disagree strongly).
83%
51%
45%
PBS
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
PBS KIDS MOBILE EDUCATIONAL
APPS AVERAGED MORE THAN
264 MILLION
VIDEO STREAMS PER MONTH IN 2014
Source: Google Analytics January-December 2014
10
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS is the undisputed leader
in children’s programming
How much do you agree with the statement that _____ is the undisputed leader in
children’s programming?
Percent saying “agree strongly/agree somewhat” (on a 4-point scale: agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree
somewhat, disagree strongly).
78%
47%
38%
PBS
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
IN 2014 PBS KIDS
OFFERED MORE THAN
4,000 HOURS
OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING
11
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS is a trusted & safe
place to watch television
How much do you agree with the statement that _____ is a trusted and safe place
for children to watch television?
Percent saying “agree strongly/agree somewhat” (on a 4-point scale: agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree
somewhat, disagree strongly).
89%
54%
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
54%
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
PBS
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
12
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS is a trusted & safe
place to visit on digital
platforms
How much do you agree with the statement that _____ is a trusted and safe
place for children to visit on digital platforms?
Percent saying “agree strongly/agree somewhat” (on a 4-point scale: agree strongly, agree somewhat,
disagree somewhat, disagree strongly).
84%
53%
49%
PBS
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
EACH MONTH, NEARLY
11 MILLION
PEOPLE VISIT
pbskids.org
Source: Google Analytics, January–December 2014
IN 2014
MORE MINUTES
WERE SPENT VIEWING VIDEO ON
pbskids.org
THAN ANY OTHER KIDS’ SITE
Source: comScore VideoMetrix, January-December 2014
13
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS provides trusted & safe
mobile apps for children
How much do you agree with the statement that _____ provides trusted and safe
apps for children on mobile devices?
Percent saying “agree strongly/agree somewhat” (on a 4-point scale: agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree
somewhat, disagree strongly).
81%
53%
51%
PBS
COMMERCIAL CABLE TV
COMMERCIAL BROADCAST TV
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
IN TOTAL, PBS MOBILE APPS
HAVE BEEN DOWLOADED
18.9 MILLION TIMES
Source: AppFigures
14
AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM
PBS KIDS serves all children
PBS KIDS attracts a higher proportion of viewers from Hispanic, African-American
and low-income homes compared to their representation in the U.S. population.
PBS KIDS program audience (green) indexed to total U.S. population (red).
On TV
141
136
111
100
BLACK/AFRICAN-AMERICAN
HISPANIC
LOW-INCOME
AVERAGE FOR U.S. POPULATION
Source: Nielsen NPower, all PBS KIDS programs, 4th quarter cume 2014
PBSKIDS.org attracts a higher proportion of web users of Hispanic and African-American
descent compared to their representation in the average U.S. web audience.
PBSKIDS.org ethnicity demographics (green) versus total U.S. web audience (red).
Online
145
122
100
BLACK/AFRICAN-AMERICAN
HISPANIC
AVERAGE FOR U.S.
WEB AUDIENCE
Source: comScore PlanMetrix, November 2013
15
A TRUSTED WINDOW TO THE WORLD
PBS is the most fair
When it comes to news coverage, investigations and
discussions of major issues, would you say these networks’
programs are strongly liberal, moderately liberal, moderately
conservative, strongly conservative or mostly fair?
37%
PBS
46%
43%
NPR
CBS
45%
ABC
46%
NBC
47%
CNN
47%
Fox News Channel
42%
22%
■ Liberal
15%
36%
18%
35%
19%
17%
35%
32%
54%
MSNBC
17%
21%
28%
25%
■ Mostly Fair
18%
52%
■ Conservative
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, Janurary 2015
May not total 100% due to rounding.
MORE VOTERS
TRUST
#1 PBS
THAN ANY OTHER
TELEVISION
IN 2014 PBS WON
12 PEABODY
AWARDS
MORE THAN ANY
OTHER BROADCASTER
NEWS SOURCE
Source: Public Policy Polling, 1/30/2014
16
A TRUSTED WINDOW TO THE WORLD
PBS is a leader in addressing
important issues
How well do PBS programs — for both children and adults —
­ address these items?
Percent saying “addresses very well” (on a 4-point scale: very well, moderately well, not very well, not well at all).
61%
Support early childhood education
58%
Provide access to arts, culture & performance
Promote an understanding of science & technology
48%
Help children prepare for success in school & life
48%
Promote an understanding of American history
46%
Improve literacy
46%
Inform people of America’s ethnic & cultural diversity
Provide access to a variety of viewpoints
Inform people of political & social issues
Inform people about health issues
43%
41%
39%
37%
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
IN 2014 PBS WON
3 DUPONT-
COLUMBIA
JOURNALISM
AWARDS
17
THE NATION’S LARGEST STAGE
PBS: most frequently turned
to for arts programming
Where do you look for television programming on arts, culture and performance?
63%
PBS
59%
Traditional network channels
54%
Basic cable channels
44%
YouTube
30%
Netflix
29%
HBO or other premium cable channels
iTunes
Amazon Instant Video
Ovation Network
Never look for
17%
10%
7%
4%
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
PBS and its local member stations ensure that the
worlds of music, theater, dance and art remain
available and free to all Americans, many of
whom might never have the opportunity to
experience them otherwise.
18
THE NATION’S LARGEST STAGE
PBS: most varied arts &
cultural programming
Which of the following media outlets provide the most varied arts, culture and
performance programming?
73%
PBS
54%
Traditional network channels
50%
Basic cable channels
44%
YouTube
Netflix
31%
HBO or other premium cable channels
31%
iTunes
Amazon Instant Video
Ovation Network
18%
14%
11%
Source: CARAVAN ORC International, January 2015
IN 2013–14
PBS OFFERED
MORE THAN
549
HOURS OF ARTS
& CULTURAL
PROGRAMMING
IN 2013-14 MORE THAN
110 MILLION
PEOPLE WATCHED PBS
ARTS & CULTURAL
PROGRAMMING
19
PBS, with over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the
opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television
and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 103 million
people through television and over 33 million people online, inviting
them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public
affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to
world-class drama and performances.
PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the
industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children
from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and
services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier
children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, and mobile
apps are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring
and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children.
More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the
leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on
Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific
program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/
pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
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combines forward thinking methodologies, cutting-edge technology, skilled researchers and in-depth industry experience to provide clients with valuable insight and analysis
in the areas of Customer Strategies, Employee Engagement, and Innovation and Growth. ORC International was founded in 1938 and is a founding member of the CASRO, the
proud partner of CNN on the CNN|ORC International poll since 2006; and the research firm of choice on the annual NYSE Euronext CEO Report. For more information, please
visit www.ORCInternational.com.
20
FRONT COVER: Main photo, courtesy of Peter Krogh; Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: ©2015 The Fred Rogers Company; Ken Burns photo courtesy of Jason Savage; Charla Metzker of Ballet Florida dancing
Lambarena Photo Courtesy of © Steven Caras; Teddy Roosevelt Photo Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division; WGBH NOVA “Making Stuff Wilder” Atlas Photo Courtesy of Cara
Fienberg; Logos; CURIOUS GEORGE is a production of Imagine, WGBH and Universal. Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H. A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing, LLC. Television Series: © 2014. Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY; Grover
and Cookie Monster: Sesame Street® and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop: © 2015 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved; Cat in
the Hat Knows a Lot About That!: © 2015, CITH Productions, Inc. and Red Hat Animation Ltd. Underlying characters: © 1957, 1985 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P; DINOSAUR TRAIN™ & © 2015 The Jim Henson
Company. All Rights Reserved; SID THE SCIENCE KID™ & © 2015 The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved; DinosaurTrain™ & © 2015 The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved.; Wild Kratts
is a Kratt Brothers Company/9 Story Entertainment production: © 2015 WK3 Productions Inc.; @ Peg + Cat: © 2015, Feline Features, LLC ; Odd Squad: © 2015 The Fred Rogers Company; Super WHY!: ©
2015 Out of the Blue Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved; Martha Speaks: © 2015 WGBH Educational Foundation™ © “Martha” and underlying artwork: Susan Meddaugh; WORDGIRL™ & © Scholastic
Inc. All Rights Reserved; The Electric Company® and associated characters, logos, trademarks and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop: © 2015; Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood:
© 2015 The Fred Rogers Company; ”Arthur” & the other Marc Brown ARTHUR characters and underlying materials (including artwork) ™ and © 2000 Marc Brown; Clifford The Big Red Dog: © Scholastic
Inc. CLIFFORD™; THOMAS & FRIENDS © 2015 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. The Thomas name and character and the Thomas & Friends logo are trademarks of Gullane (Thomas) Limited and its affiliates
and are registered in many jurisdictions throughout the world. CAILLOU™ Chouette Publishing; @ Peg + Cat: © 2015, Feline Features, LLC; Family in couch photo of Peter Krogh; family and kids using
mobile and digital devices courtesy of Peter Krogh; Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill of PBS NewsHour: photo courtesy of Robert Severi; POV Documentary High Tech, low life, photo credit Stephen T. Maing,
©MudHorsePictures, LLC.; Austin City Limits Valerie June Photo by Scott Newton. Courtesy KLRU-TV, Austin PBS; Lang Lang as appeared on Great Performances: photo courtesy of Detlef Schneider;
Father and son watching wild Kratts on laptop, photo courtesy of Peter Krogh.
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