Thesis: Survey Data Charts

My original hypothesis had been that younger adults would be more open-minded to a more cartoonish style and that older audiences would strictly prefer realism in animation. This data shows somewhat different results than what I was expecting, but, excitingly, there is a definite, strong trend depicted here.

The biggest takeaway from this data is that almost all adults prefer realism in animation. Many of the responses I received from the survey indicated that people seemed to think cartoonish animation was annoying, or, as one respondent put it, “goofy”, while realistic animation was more impressive.

Though it’s impossible to say for certain without conducting an even more extensive survey, my theory is that non-animators believe realistic animation requires more talent or is simply more accomplished. There were even some responses that seemed to be attempting to insult me and my own animation skill through phrases like “the female sheriff’s walk was stupid”, thus implying that they believed her over-the-top, ridiculous movement to be unintentional, and that animation in that style indicates a lack of intelligence or skill. It was these kind of responses that helped me the most, as they demonstrated a clear preference towards one or the other without the respondent seeming to understand the implication in their responses (and therefore not skewing the data).

The phone conversation (Dana and Clara) videos were EXTREMELY controversial. I believe this is because very little changes between the two other than the actual animation itself, as both are simply acting out the same dialogue, and it requires the survey takers to think more clearly about the reasoning behind their choice.

What I mean by controversial is this: about half of the responses indicated that Clara was “too realistic” and that made her “creepy”, while about half of the other responses indicated that Dana was “too exaggerated” and that rubbery, silly motion made her creepy. However, in the end, Clara won out yet again, though by less than the realistic videos had other times.

Compare this chart to the others.

Note that in the Cowboy Walk Cycle pair, the contrast between the two styles may have been the sharpest of all, as the realistic version implied dark, serious lighting (which more than half of the responses praised) and a slow, steady walk, while the cartoon one was intentionally very goofy, with floppy, bouncy clothing.

Let’s discuss the findings.

Again, the easiest takeaway here is that adults in general prefer realistic animation. The most surprising turn in the data, however, is that while Gen Z show a strong preference, and Millennials show an even stronger preference, those over the age of 50 seem to have no preference at all.

I’ve got to say, that result did blow my mind a little. It was exactly the opposite of what I expected for that age category.

There are two possible explanations for this outcome.

1. The sample size is too small. Adults over the age of 50 accounted for only 10% of my respondents. Therefore, it could be impossible to determine a real trend, and I’ll have to mention in my paper that this data is inadequate. That being said, I do believe that with SUCH a strong trend in favor of realism for both Gen Z and Millennials, where almost 3/4 respondents preferred realism, it is still somewhat surprising even with a small sample size that there wouldn’t be a trend shown for the older age group.
2. Older adults really have no preference. I’m not sure if I can include this as an “interview” in my thesis, as it’s too personal, but when my father asked me about my findings, he was surprised to hear the results skewed towards realism. He told me that he (a 57 year old) likes to be entertained when he watches animated content and he always found the cartoonish videos the funniest.
   • If this is true for other older adults I have a couple of theories as to why, though they would have to be investigated in an entirely separate study. Perhaps much of my discussion will involve the ways that this can be further researched. My theories are as follows:
     1. Older adults did not grow up with 3D animation, while people under the age of 30 did. To adult viewers my age, Toy Story and the like were a baby movies, and we graduated from that kind of animation to “more mature” media (in the eyes of other younger adults). Because older adults were already in their 30s or so when this technology came around, it never seemed juvenile to them, because they don’t associate it with a younger stage of their lives.
     2. Older adults may have been raising children (us, me) at the time this technology developed. Therefore, they consumed a lot of it with their kids as a family and grew to develop an appreciation for it totally unmarred by association with developmental stages in their own lives.

Anyway. Lots of food for thought. I will be figuring out how to incorporate all these floating theories into my thesis today.