We’ve all been there before–sitting in a waiting room, without anything to do. There, on the table, you might find a magazine to help pass the time. So what do you do when you’re called back for your appointment? Do you leave the magazine there, or take it with you?
CivicScience data show that 28% of Americans have taken a magazine from a waiting room, while 72% say they have not. Women lead with their history of taking waiting room magazines (31% vs 24%). Income may also play a role, as those who make $50K or less per year are more likely than those who make $100K or more per year to have taken a waiting room magazine (28% vs 19%).
Of course, the demographic data is only a first look into what sets waiting room magazine takers apart from those who leave waiting room magazines right where they found them. And as the data show, these consumer groups could not be more different:
Phone Protection: While 34% of those who have taken a magazine from a waiting room say they have a phone protection plan, just 27% of those who have never taken a magazine say the same.
Documentary Viewership: Those who have taken a magazine from a waiting room are eight percentage points more likely to watch documentaries than those who have never taken a waiting room magazine (48% vs 39%).
Vacation Accommodations: While 21% of those who have taken a waiting room magazine say they plan to stay at a motel or bed-and-breakfast on their summer vacation, just 15% of those who have never taken a waiting room magazine say the same.
Radio Listening Habits: Radio listenership is higher among those who have taken a waiting room magazine than among those who have not, with 44% of magazine takers saying they listen more than once a month. Meanwhile, just 37% of non-magazine takers say the same.
Food Affordability: Those who have taken a magazine from a waiting room are 14 percentage points more likely than those who have not to say that rising prices have impacted their ability to afford food (66% vs 52%).
Where do you stand? Take this poll now and see how your preference compares with other Americans:
While taking a magazine from a waiting room may seem like an isolated behavior, it does, in fact, ripple out to impact a wide range of choices in every area of life.
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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.
