Tuesday 30 July 2019

78% of adults in Ireland believe reality TV can have a damaging impact on mental health

iReach Insights Press Release

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30th July 2019

78% of adults in Ireland believe reality TV can have a damaging impact on mental health


38% watch reality television, with females (49%) being twice as likely as males (27%) to watch

Women (59%) are twice as likely as men (38%) to believe the relationships on reality TV are faked.

68% agree that Love Island sets impossible physical goals for viewers

54% adults believe that the relationships developed in Love Island are faked.


The line between reality and reality TV becomes increasingly blurred, and the success of popular shows like Love Island has continued to further stereotypes and beauty ideals. With this in mind, iReach Insights conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,001 Irish adults on opinions on reality TV and how it can influence society.

2 in 5 adults (38%) watch reality television, with females (49%) being twice as likely as males (27%) to watch. Half (51%) of those 18-34 watch reality TV. The most popular genre of reality TV is cooking shows (24%), followed closely by lifestyle (20%). Half of reality TV watchers (46%) watch reality TV on a weekly basis.

1 in 5 (20%) Irish adults believe that Love Island reflects real people, while 1 in 4 (24%) believe it reflects real situations. 18% believe it portrays people fairly, and 21% think that the people in this year’s Love Island are genuine. 54% adults believe that the relationships developed in Love Island are faked. Women (59%) are twice as likely as men (38%) to believe the relationships are faked.

78% of adults agree that reality TV can have a damaging impact on mental health, while 68% agree that Love Island sets impossible physical goals for viewers. When asked if respondents felt the need to be more attractive after watching Love Island, 31% wouldn’t change themselves but said it does make them unhappy with how they look, 26% said they would try to get in shape, and 6% would consider plastic surgery.

The most popular talent reality TV shows were: 1. X Factor (55%), 2. The Voice (42%), and 3. Ireland’s Got Talent (35%). The shows watched most frequently live (either every episode or most episodes live) were: 1. Dancing with the Stars (36%), 2. X Factor (31%), and 3. The Voice (29%).

The most popular cooking reality TV shows were: 1. The Great British Bake-Off (51%), 2. MasterChef (48%), and 3. Hell’s Kitchen (30%). The shows watched most frequently live (either every episode or most episodes live) were: 1. The Great Irish Bake-Off (36%), 2. The Great British-Bake-Off (34%), and 3. Top Chef (34%).

The most popular lifestyle reality TV shows were: 1. Big Brother (39%), 2. Love Island (30%), and 3. Keeping Up With the Kardashians (19%). The shows watched most frequently live (either every episode or most episodes live) were: 1. Love Island (46%), 2. Big Brother (32%), and 3. The Bachelor/Bachelorette (28%).  



About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 18th-25th July and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.


Questions asked of participants:

Do you watch reality TV?
What is your preferred genre of reality TV to watch?
How frequently do you watch reality TV?
What lifestyle/talent/cooking reality TV shows are you familiar with?
What lifestyle/talent/cooking reality TV shows have you watched?
How frequently do you watch each of these shows?
Thinking specifically about Love Island, please state how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.
Did you ever feel the need to be more attractive after watching reality TV shows like Love Island?


iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.
iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: 
PR@ireachhq.com

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