9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

SECTION 2.

The Size and Composition of the Kitchen Front Audience.

This section is divided into two parts, the first deals with the percentage of housewives listening:

(i) on the day of interview,

(ii) not on the day of interview, but who have not given up. and the percentage of housewives who have :

(iii) given up listening

and (iv) who have never listened.

The second analyses the listeners into groups according as they listen :

(i) Regularly

(ii) Fairly Often

(iii) Occasionally.

Part I .

Housewives listening on the day of interview.

The total of 268 housewives who listened on the day of interview when weighted to the correct class proportions is 11.6% of those interviewed.

A further analysis has been made under the following headings, Class, Age, Without and With Children, Family Size and by Urban and Rural.

These breakdowns show small differences, the chief of which are :

(Tables 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).

The proportions of those housewives who did not listen on the morning of the interview, who still listen and who have given up listening.

In order to obtain this information housewives, other than those who had never heard the Kitchen Front Programme, were asked Question 11 “Do you still listen to them” (The Kitchen Front Talks).

There were 1,744 answers to this question out of a possible 2,000 housewives to whom the question might have applied so that the numerical answers are under-rated, there is reason, however, to believe that the proportions arc substantially correct.

Basing these results on the number of housewives who, although not listening on the morning of the interview, had at some time heard the programme , it will be seen that 79.7% of the housewives still listen whilst 20.3% had given up (weighted figures) (Table 6). The proportion of housewives still listening expressed as a proportion of all housewives not listening on the morning of the interview is 48.4% (weighted figure).

Breakdown by Class.

This analysis shows a considerable difference between the classes as well as a trend from A class to D. The proportions who still listen are 68.5% A Class, 77.3% B Class, 80.5% C Class, 81.5% D Class (these are 35.6%, 48.1%, 55.4% and 56.6% of all housewives who did not listen on the morning of the interview respectively). (Table 6)

Breakdown by Age.

It is interesting to note that the proportion of housewives still listening increases with age; the proportions being Under 35, 74.6%; 35 to 50 78.8%; over 50 80.4% (These being 51.7%, 51.6%, and 49.2% of all housewives not listening on the morning of the interview). (Table 7)

Breakdown Without and With Children.

There is no important difference in these two groups, the proportions being 78.3% without and 79% with children. (These are 49.5% and 53.3% of all housewives not listening on the morning of interview). (Table 8).

Breakdown by Family Size.

There are only small differences in the groups in this analysis. (Table 9).

Breakdown by Fuel.

There are small differences in the most important groups, those housewives using more than one sort of fuel having 81.4% still listening as compared with 74.8% of those housewives using electricity. (Table 10).

Breakdown by Region.

The numbers in the regional samples are in most cases too small to give reliable results so that the results of this analysis should be regarded with caution. (Table 11).

The Percentage of Housewives who have never listened.

There were some 2,487 answers to Question 9 “Have you ever listened to the 8.15 food talks” out of a possible 2,690 housewives who did not listen on the morning of the interview so that the numbers are somewhat less than they should be. An examination of the proportions of the classes and other groups in the sample, however, shows that these are approximately in the same proportions as the total.

The weighted totals show that of all housewives who did not listen on the morning of the interview 22.3% have never listened.

These figures have been further analysed by Class, Age, Without and With Children, by Fuel and by Region and the following are the more important facts that emerge. The proportion of those who have never listened, is highest in Class A and lowest in Class D, 41.8% compared with 19.4%, is highest in those over 50 compared with the lower age groups 30.7% compared with 23.4% and 23.3% and is highest in small families compared with large. This proportion is likewise higher among housewives using gas and electricity compared with those using coal and coke and more than one sort of fuel and is much higher amongst housewives without children than those with, 29.3% compared with 19.2%. (Tables 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16). A Regional Breakdown is also give. (Table 17)

PART 2.

The Percentage of All Listener who listen Regularly, Fairly Often and Occasionally.

Question 13 “How frequently do you listen to these 8.15 Food Talks” was asked of all housewives except those who had never listened or who had given up listening and it was answered by 1,720 out of approximately 1,938 possible subjects.

The answers were pre-coded into three groups, e.g.

(i) Regularly (Several times a week)

(ii) Fairly Often (About once a week)

and (iii) Occasionally (Less than once a week)

This arrangement is a rough one and it appears likely that if anything housewives tend to over rather than under estimate the amount of listening.

The proportions for the weighted totals in the three groups of answers, Regularly 48.8%, Fairly Often 20.0% and Occasionally 31.2%.

In the further breakdowns by Class, Age, Without and With Children, Size of Family, Fuel and Region there are a few differences of which the following are perhaps the most interesting. The proportion of regular listeners is highest in Class D, although lowest in Class C; is higher among housewives with children than those without and there is a tendency for the proportion of regular listeners to be higher in medium size families compared with larger or smaller ones. (Tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)