April 24, 2020

With COVID-19 forcing many Sioux Falls residents to spend more time at home, some have found their television-watching habits changing in an attempt to fill more free time than they usually would have.

Nearly 900 readers shared insight into how they’re working, living, entertaining and coping during COVID-19 in an open survey conducted by SiouxFalls.Business in partnership with the Augustana Research Institute.

In the coming weeks, SiouxFalls.Business will share what readers had to say on a wide variety of topics.

Sioux Falls Confronts COVID-19 was taken from April 6-12. It is not a scientific survey, but it does include representation from all age groups. Respondents were about 70 percent female and 30 percent male.

With so much time at home, respondents definitely have been watching television. We wondered how much and what programs they are tuning into.

The two most common answers were two and three hours per day, as about 45 percent of respondents answered one of the two. On the far ends of the spectrum, 6.5 percent said they watched less than an hour, while 3.5 percent said they watch more than 10 hours.

While viewing habits vary, bingeing favorite shows on streaming services seems to be a popular option, with 48 respondents listing “Tiger King,” a Netflix true crime series about the life of zookeeper Joe Exotic and the interconnected community of big-cat conservationists.

Twenty-five survey respondents said they were watching Netflix drama “Ozark,” starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a married couple who relocates their family to the Ozarks after a botched money-laundering scheme.

Respondents also cited the need to stay informed during this time with 29 people saying the news is what they have watched the most. Fox News, “PBS NewsHour” and local TV news were among the news programs they listed.

Other more obscure shows mentioned in the responses include “The Curse of Oak Island,” a reality show on The History Network about two brothers searching for buried treasure on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Another respondent is watching “Agatha Christie’s Marple” on Hulu, a show about an elderly woman who helps solve mysteries.

JoJean Callison, a 65-and-over female respondent, said she and her husband initially tried to watch as much news as they could once the coronavirus became a concern in Sioux Falls but grew exhausted of the constant stream of news.

“Originally, I was trying to watch the city and state press conferences, but I’ve really walked away from that,” Callison said via email. “I get what I need to know from the Argus, local TV and SiouxFalls.Business. We also watch ‘PBS NewsHour’ most evenings. … Originally we were definitely watching more news, but now we’re back to what we were consuming pre-coronavirus.”

For those with children, TV can help keep the young ones occupied while getting work done.

“It’s all Disney+,” a 25- to 34-year-old female respondent said. “I’m trying to work from home with a toddler, so we need the electronic baby sitter.”

Other respondents indicated that their TV-watching habits haven’t changed at all or have gone back to old favorites.

“I’m rewatching things I’ve already seen when I do get to work from home, just to have noise,” a 35- to 49-year-old female respondent said. “And every night after having to work in the office, I watch random shows to decompress.”

During an uncertain time, respondents said watching leisure television can act as a needed escape from the daily news cycle.

“Yes, it has (been a break from COVID-19-related stress),” said Deb Nichols, a 35- to 49-year-old female respondent. “I love old movies. Those are my favorite. The ones you can watch over (and) over.”

Here’s more on your TV habits in your own words:

For more survey results, which will be updated with additional stories, click below.

Survey results: Sioux Falls residents weigh in on life during COVID-19