Should content producers be “canceled” because of their dissenting views? In the opinion of two in every three Americans, the response is emphatical “No.” A recent poll of 2,000 participants by market research company OnePoll focused on historical and current fandoms. Around 58% of people surveyed concur with the statement that “Boycotting an artist’s work because of their personal ideas is never OK.
While 61% admit that if a creative stated anything “reprehensible,” this could negatively affect their enjoyment, 68% think it’s still feasible to “separate the art from the artist.”
Harry Potter fans will still identify as fans amid Rowling’s controversy.
Following this, the survey focused on past and current “Harry Potter” fans (roughly 24 percent of the sample), asking them about their opinions on the latest controversies surrounding the series, such as author J.K. Rowling’s outspoken opposition to legislation that would make transgender people to legitimately change their bodies in Scotland. Seventy percent (or 18 percent of participants overall) of Pottermania participants say they will still proactively identify as Harry Potter fans now.
71 percent of respondents said that their interest in Harry Potter has decreased since their fandom peaked. Forty-two percent of respondents who were questioned about the dropoff said that they had second thoughts about sticking with the brand after “learning about its much more problematic components.” Thirty-five percent of respondents disagreed with J.K. Rowling’s recent statements against transgender people.
36% of participants are not interested in additions to Harry Porter
Similar numbers of respondents (36%) expressed a lack of interest in more recent additions of popular franchises, such as the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise or the Broadway musical of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” A whopping 29% of people merely became old for it. So it should come as no surprise that some “houses”—the fictional Hogwarts dorms that fans place themselves in according to their personality archetypes—are more enthusiastic over Potter than others.
Relative to the norm, those who self-described as “brave” Gryffindors, including Harry Potter, were far more likely to say they were active fans (83 percent vs. 70 percent ).
