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1993 Police Mailing List Survey Results
As promised, here are the results of the Police poll. I hesitate to
write "summarized", since this is quite long.
There were 55 respondents, out of a population of about 175 (according
to bobby's "who" answer).
Someone asked me why _the_ question, "Who do you prefer, The Police or
Sting solo?" was not asked. Of course, it was - by comparing the
answers to the "how much do you like X" questions. I classified as a
"Sting fan" anyone who gave Sting a higher number than The Police,
or anyone who gave them the same number but knew nothing of Stewart or
Andy's solo work. "Police fans" are all the rest. (NOTE: Police fans
include a few Stewart fans, people who gave Stewart higher scores than
The Police. Since they were too few to be useful as a statistic group,
I lumped them in with Police fans).
Using this rule, it turns out we have 60% Sting fans, 40% Police fans.
These two groups differ significantly, as will be seen below.
The following are the original questions and their summarized answers.
I. The Police
1) On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you like The Police?
(1 = "I can't stand them", 10 = "I am obsessed with them".
0 = "I am not familiar with their work".).
Average: 8.6
14 people (25%) said "10" - but I don't believe that many are actually
"obsessed". More likely, some people answered the question as if it said
"How good do you think the Police are?".
2) What is your favorite Police album?
Overall Police fans Sting fans
Synchronicity 38% 13% 54%
Ghost in the Machine 22 36 12
Regatta de Blanc 22 32 15
Zenyatta Mondatta 9 5 12
Outlandos d'Amour 7 14 3
EBYT, the Singles 2 - 3
Synchronicity is the overwhelming favorite of Sting fans, but
Police fans don't care for it much. They prefer Ghost and Reggatta.
3) What is your favorite Police song / composition?
There were 25 different answers to this one, and quite a number
of people complained it was too hard. Perhaps next time I should ask
for a list, say 3 or 5 songs, so more repeats will happen. Top
answers were:
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic 16%
Message in a Bottle 10%
I Burn For You 10%
So Lonely 8%
Every Breath You Take 6%
Synchronicity II 6%
4) What is your least favorite Police album?
Overall Police fans Sting fans
Outlandos d'Amour 26% 17% 32%
Ghost in the Machine 21 17 24
Zenyatta Mondatta 19 28 12
Regatta de Blanc 16 6 24
EBYT, the Singles 14 22 8
Synchronicity 5 11 0
Police fans don't like Zenyatta and the hits collection, while
Sting fans don't like Outlando's, Ghost and Reggatta.
5) What is your least favorite Police song / composition?
Overall Police fans Sting fans
Mother 40% 22% 52%
Every Breath You Take 9 22 -
Born in the 50's 9 17 4
A Kind of Loving 7 5 8
Don't Stand So Close '86 7 11 4
Peanuts 5 - 8
"Mother" "wins" this one hands down, mostly thanks to the Sting fans
who really hate it. The Police fans, on the other hand, dislike
"Every Breath You Take" just as much (according to their comments,
this is due more to its being overplayed than anything actually wrong
with the song).
I think the reason "Mother" stands out so much is that it's totally
unlike any other Police song. Asking whether one likes it or not has
nothing to do with the Police - it's like asking whether one likes
Nirvana, for example. It has to do with one's musical tastes outside
the Police. When a song like that appears in a Police album, and if
your taste doesn't run to that style, it's easy to latch onto it as
the "worst".
6) Have you ever seen the Police live?
15% of us have. The other 85% envy them.
II. Stewart Copeland
1) On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you like Stewart?
(1 = "I can't stand him", 10 = "I am obsessed with him".
0 = "I am not familiar with his work".).
55% of us don't feel they know enough to answer that one.
One person apologized, saying he was hesitant to send in a poll
reply without knowing anything about Stewart or Andy. Well, as you
can see, there are many of us in that state.
Of the others, the average is 6.9 (8.2 for Police fans, 4.8
for Sting fans. Recall that Police fans include Stewart fans).
4 people said "10" - one of them adding "best drummer ever" and
then not answering any other questions in the section.
2) What is your favorite Stewart album?
Only 18 people answered this one.
Rumblefish 33%
Equalizer 28
Klerk Kant 22
Rhythmatist 17
It might be interesting to note that of the 4 women who answered this
question, 3 picked Rumblefish.
3) What is your favorite Stewart song / composition?
Only 16 people answered that one, and gave 13 different answers...
"Does Everyone Stare" got 3 votes - 2 of them from Sting fans.
"Don't Box Me In" got 2 votes.
4) What is your least favorite Stewart album?
8 people answered this. 5 picked Animal Logic, 3 picked Equalizer.
5) What is your least favorite Stewart song / composition?
Only 2 people answered.
6) Have you ever seen Stewart live?
No-one has, not even his obsessed fans.
III. Sting
1) On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you like Sting?
(1 = "I can't stand him", 10 = "I am obsessed with him".
0 = "I am not familiar with his work".).
Average: 8.5. Police fans: 7.0 Sting fans: 9.4.
20 people (36%) said "10". Are that many of us obsessed?
Well, if so, the current flame warriors better start hiding, no knowing
when obsessed people will pick up weapons in defense of their god.
One guy actually answered "1" (which I translated above as "I
can't stand him"). I wonder how he manages to stay on this list,
when most of our talk is about Sting. On the other hand, this guy
was able to name a favorite Sting album and song, and has seen him
live. So maybe that "1" was a bit exaggerated?
2) What is your favorite Sting album?
Overall Police fans Sting fans
Dream of the Blue Turtles 31% 36% 32%
Nothing Like the Sun 31 18 40
The Soul Cages 19 27 12
Ten Summoner's Tales 9 9 9
Bring On the Night 9 9 9
Both Police and Sting fans like DoBT, but Sting fans like NLtS even
better, while Police fans have a liking for TSC that Sting fans don't share.
3) What is your favorite Sting song / composition?
Like the case of favorite Police song, there were 25 different
answers. The few repeated were
Fortress Around Your Heart 12%
Fields of Gold 10
Englishman in New York 8
Children's Crusade 6
If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free 6
Mad About You 6
I Burn For You 6
4) What is your least favorite Sting album?
Overall Police fans Sting fans
The Soul Cages 43% 23% 56%
Ten Summoner's Tales 21 29 16
Nothing Like the Sun 17 17 16
Dream of the Blue Turtles 14 24 8
Bring On the Night 2 6 -
Nada Como El Sol 2 - 4
Sting fans don't like TSC, while Police fans tend to be more disgusted
with TST.
Several respondents added a "I like it, just not as much as the rest"
comment to this. Others flat out refused to name a least favorite.
5) What is your least favorite Sting song / composition?
Unlike the Police case, there is no clear standout here. 23
different responses were given, of which the repeated ones were
The Munificent Seven (Love is Stronger Than Justice) 14%
Secret Marriage 9
Rock Steady 9
When the Angels Fall 7
Something the Boy Said 7
We'll be Together 5
We Work the Black Seam 5
They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo) 5
It is interesting that while "Munificent 7" and "Secret Marriage"
haters come from among Police and Sting fans alike, "Rock Steady",
"When the Angels Fall" and "Something the Boy Said" are hated only
by Sting fans. ("Rock Steady" only by female Sting fans, at that.)
"We'll Be Together", "We Work the Black Seam" and "They Dance Alone"
are disliked only by Police fans.
6) Have you ever seen Sting live?
72% of us have. (Only 65% of Police fans). Some people answered
with a number of times, some even with venues. Averaging those,
gives an average of 3.7 (but a median of only 2. We have two
devoted female fans who claim to have seen him 20 and 25 times.)
IV. Andy Summers
1) On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you like Andy?
52% don't know enough to answer. (77% of Sting fans, 10% of Police fans).
Of the rest, the average is 6.1 (6.7 for Police fans, 4.7 for Sting
fans).
2) What is your favorite Andy album?
15 people answered.
Charming Snakes 31%
XYZ 25
Golden Wire 13
Bewitched 13
I Advance Masked 7
2010 7
World Gone Strange 7
3) What is your favorite Andy song / composition?
Only 13 people answered, naming 10 songs. The 3 repeated ones were
"How Many Days", "The Strong and the Beautiful", and "Red Balloon".
4) What is your least favorite Andy album?
10 people answered.
XYZ 50%
Mysterious Barricades 30
Golden Wire 10
Down & Out in Beverly Hills 10
5) What is your least favorite Andy song / composition?
Only one person answered that.
6) Have you ever seen Andy live?
Two lucky female Police fans did.
V. Reunion?
1) Do you think The Police will reunite?
31% a. No
58 b. Maybe only for some special occasion (Amnesty gig, etc.)
4 c. They will record another song together.
d. They will record another album.
e. They will go on a reunion tour.
7 f. They will record an album and go on tour.
g. They will reunite for a long while, make many albums and tours.
Someone pointed out to me that because only answer (b) has "maybe"
in it, it'll have more than its share of pickers. Could be.
2) When do you think this reunion will happen?
39% a. Within the next 3 years.
26 b. About 5-10 years from now.
2 c. More than 10 years away.
33 d. Never.
3) Do you think The Police SHOULD reunite? Why?
46% think they should. 55% of Police fans, and only 40% of Sting fans.
The nay-sayers were generally quite vehement in their answers.
"NO!!!!!" and "NEVER!!!!" appear quite often. The reasons they gave
included fear of the possible failure of such a reunion, and the
consequent tarnishing of the "legend". Some others said that the
members have grown in different directions (some Sting fans said
"Sting has outgrown the others") and could not fit back together.
Reunion proponents think it should happen because "they owe it to the
fans" and "I want to hear some more Police music". They also think
that ten years should have matured the boys and made them able to tolerate
each other.
Some reunion proponents were more hesitant. They said they really
wanted to see the police - but that it should happen only if "they
want to and think it would work". Otherwise, they say, it will be
a disaster.
We are all optimistic, however. 82% of those who think the Police
won't reunite also think they shouldn't. 60% of those who think they
will, think they should.
VI. Music in general.
1) What are your 10 favorite musical acts (no need to rank them)?
(NOTE: Nothing is taken for granted. If The Police or any of its
members are on your top 10 list, write them down).
There were a total of 220 different acts named, about 150 of them
only once. This means that, on average, each of us has 3 unique
acts on his or her top ten. The following are the acts that got
3 or more votes (5%).
Sting fans show a marked different from Police fans in this question.
Their answers are much more uniform, which, along with their
greater number, helps put their favorites on top of this list.
The rightmost column of the following table indicates what percentage
of the people who listed this act are Sting fans. (For example, 93%
of the people who listed U2 are Sting fans).
Overall Police fans Sting fans % Sting fans
The Police 87% 100% 79% 54
Sting 76 55 91 71
Peter Gabriel 49 32 60 74
Genesis 36 18 48 80
U2 27 5 42 93
Eric Clapton 22 9 30 83
Billy Joel 18 5 27 90
The Beatles 16 5 24 89
Pink Floyd 15 18 12 50
R.E.M. 15 9 18 75
Phil Collins 13 5 18 86
Yes 13 23 6 29
Dire Straits 11 14 9 50
Rush 11 14 9 50
Stewart Copeland 11 27 - -
Elton John 9 5 12 80
Led Zeppelin 9 14 6 40
David Bowie 9 18 3 20
Kate Bush 7 9 6 50
The Smiths 7 9 6 50
Tori Amos 5 - 9 100
Branford Marsalis 5 - 9 100
Wynton Marsalis 5 - 9 100
Paul Simon 5 - 9 100
David Sanborn 5 - 9 100
Def Leppard 5 - 9 100
Crowded House 5 5 6 67
Pearl Jam 5 5 6 67
Depeche Mode 5 9 3 33
Huey Lewis 5 9 3 33
Pet Shop Boys 5 9 3 33
10000 Maniacs 5 9 3 33
Andy Summers 5 14 - -
Sting fans' favorites are Peter Gabriel, Genesis, U2, Eric Clapton,
Billy Joel, The Beatles, R.E.M, and Elton John. Note the 7 artists
liked only by Sting fans, including Branford Marsalis.
The acts favored by Police fans are headed by Stewart Copeland,
Yes, David Bowie, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Rush, and Led Zeppelin.
Note that only "Police fans" listed Stewart or Andy.
2) Does your interest in The Police prompt you to seek out works by
people who worked with them (musicians, producers, etc.)?
56% of us seek out such works. One "obsessed" Sting fan said he
buys "any album Sting ever breathed on".
The names most often mentioned were Branford Marsalis and Vinx.
3) Do you belong to any music-related mailing list besides the Police
list? If so, which?
44% of us belong only to the Police list. The rest belong to
an average of 3 others.
4) How many hours a day, on average, do you listen to music?
Most people gave a range, or said it varies widely. The average
comes out to about 3.5.
5) Do you listen to music while doing something else, or do you
take time to just listen?
58% of us do both. 40% only listen while doing something else.
6) Are lyrics important to you?
Lyrics are important to 73% of us. 82% of Sting fans consider them
important, and 100% of the female respondents find them very important.
VII. General & Personal
1) Is English your native language?
80% of us are native English speakers.
2) How well do you understand English?
a. Perfectly. 85%
b. Very well. 6
c. Well enough. 9
d. I manage.
Very modest, we are. Considering how some people answered the
poll, however, I doubt their command of English is that perfect.
Or maybe it is perfect when they bother to read it...
3) What is your gender?
75% male, 25% female. Of Police fans, 86% male; of Sting fans, 70.
In other words, 77% of our females are Sting fans (ah, that
infamous sex appeal...). On the other hand, the females also
have more than their share of Elton John, R.E.M., Phil Collins,
Eric Clapton, U2, David Bowie, Pearl Jam, Def Leppard, Peter
Gabriel, Tori Amos, Billy Joel, Crowded House, Andy Summers,
and Pet Shop Boys fans - and many of those aren't particularly
handsome.
The females do not like Dire Straits, Rush, Yes, Stewart Copeland,
Led Zeppelin, Depeche Mode, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis,
Huey Lewis, Paul Simon, and David Sanborn as much as the males
do.
4) What is your age?
Our average age is 23.5. Police fans average 22.9, Sting
fans average 23.9. The men average 22.1 years old, the women
26.2.
Our youngest are 18 years old. Our oldest are 43, 35, 33, and 30.
5) What is your profession / major ?
36% of us are computer people (students, programmers, or managers),
and the rest represent just about every field imaginable: science,
engineering, law, history, journalism, music.
If you've lasted to here, congrats, and thanks for your patience.
Thanks again to all who responded to the poll.
Your comments and questions are welcome.
Orit
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