Answer: 37% decline from 26.4% in 2014 to 16.8% in 2018. 

Questions:

• How do you think these percentages would compare with high school students?
• What are the other choices that young people are flocking to instead of TV?
• What implications do you think this has for the cable companies? For your budget? 

Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (USA Today): 

Younger viewers are fleeing TV at an accelerated pace.

The trend should surprise no one who has seen the rise of Netflix, a resurgence of video games and a shift to digital. But new Nielsen data show a widening gap in viewing behavior among young and old that's alarming some network executives.   

For the four weeks ending Oct. 28, coinciding with the start of the official TV season, the number of people ages 18 to 34 using TV has plunged 15% and is down 36% from 2014. The drop-off among teens – 18% from last year and 48% since 2014 – is even more pronounced.

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Here's another Question of the Day that gets at the same trend: YouTube, Cable or Netflix: Where are teens spending most of their time?

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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