50 Love Island viewers, by the numbers
A descriptive landscape of who these viewers are and how they vary, the quantitative companion to the ethnographic read. Where the qualitative work argues, this section maps.
Who we talked to
A near-even gender split and a center of gravity in the 25-34 bracket. Every participant is a confirmed Love Island viewer; the screener required it.
What they watch
Reality TV is universal, but these are omnivores, documentaries and comedies nearly rival reality, and two-thirds watch sports while over half follow news. They are not a niche.
How they watch, the two social layers
This is the chart that reframes the study. "By myself" leads, but co-viewing with known people (friends, a partner, family) stacks up right behind it. That known-person layer is what the qualitative work finds load-bearing for loyalty. The anonymous online layer sits separately, as an amplifier.
Sizing the qualitative, with caution
Qualitative prevalence undercounts: not mentioning a theme is not evidence against it. These are therefore floor counts ("coded in at least N of 50"), not point estimates, useful for relative weight, not precision.
Data quality
A healthy dataset: mean IQS 79.1/100, with idiosyncratic personal detail throughout (a viewer on the couch "with my cats," another entering the call while breastfeeding, a man who watches "on the floor" with his aging mother). Two interviews are flagged, one authenticity tell, one tech breakdown, and handled with caution downstream.
