One-in-seven Americans have made the decision to cut the cord

It seems like every study and survey conducted in the United States is coming to the conclusion that traditional television is dying, and the latest data from the Pew Research Center is no exception. According to the data, somewhere around 15% of American adults are now cord-cutters, which means they used to be subscribed to a traditional television service but aren’t anymore. The percentage is much higher for young adults, and many of them have never actually subscribed to a traditional service in the first place. This is just further proof that on-demand streaming services like Hulu and Netflix are taking massive chunks out the subscriber base of cable and satellite providers. 

An additional element in people’s portfolio of tools to access information is more traditional – whether they have a subscription to a cable or satellite television service. A shift in how people watch TV is underway, as the new Pew Research Center data suggest 15% of American adults are now “cord cutters” – that is, they indicate that they once had a cable or satellite TV connection, but no longer subscribe. Another 9% of Americans have never had a cable or satellite subscription at all, meaning that a total of 24% of Americans currently do not subscribe to cable or satellite TV in their homes (76% of Americans subscribe to pay TV service at home). There are generational aspects to this phenomenon, as young adults are the least likely age group to have a cable or satellite subscription. Some 65% of those ages 18 to 29 have cable or satellite service at home, compared with 73% of adults ages 30 to 49 and 83% of those 50 or older. One-sixth of young adults (16%) report they never had a cable or satellite subscription, while 19% “cut the cord.” For these young people, alternative access to content is crucial. Some 75% of young adults without a cable or satellite subscription say they can access content they want to watch either online – perhaps by binge watching their favorite shows through an online service like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime – or via an over-the-air antenna. Overall, 64% of those without cable or satellite TV cite alternative access to content as a reason they do not have cable or satellite service at home.