At B.O., pious shows no bias

This article in Variety is stunning

Here is a brief excerpt:

By GABRIEL SNYDER
Variety --Wed., Jun. 29, 2005, 4:44pm PT

Americans who are stricter about their religious doctrine are actually more likely to see films rated R for violence than those who are less conservative.

That's according to a MarketCast study presented at Wednesday's Integrate '05 conference, co-sponsored by Variety.

The study, which examined whether political and cultural attitudes affect what movies people watch, found that the habits of Red State fundamentalists aren't that different from Blue State types.

The analysis was based on a survey of 1,000 Americans and presented by MarketCast president Joseph Helfgot, vice president and general manager Henry Shapiro and managing director Karen Hermelin.

"Our data has shown that most people, even the most religious, are quite satisfied with their moviegoing," Shapiro said. "They like what they see." He added that MarketCast commissioned the research to offer balance in an increasingly rancorous public debate.

"This isn't just civic boosterism, we've put money and time into this research because we were tired of listening to the chatter that was drowning out the real message and clouding the issue," he said.

"Clearly, this level of noise is being generated by a vocal and organized minority that is disproportionately impacting the debate," he added, "to the point where the thread gets picked up as fact and fed back and amplified by politicians, reporters, commentators, even some industry executives."

While the study confirmed that a sharp divide on moral issues exists in the country, it found entertainment choices are largely made separately from moral decisions.

Cultural conservatives, the report concludes, are "participating in American culture at virtually the same levels as the rest of society."

For the entire article go here