Cliff Huxtable from The Cosby Show Tops the List of TV Dads This Father's Day, According to New Harris Poll

Cliff Huxtable from The Cosby Show Tops the List of TV Dads This Father's Day, According to New Harris Poll

When choosing between George W. Bush and Bill Clinton as a father, the public is split

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- As Father's Day approaches, it seems that Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable is the television father that adults (36%) would most like to have had as a dad while they were growing up. Rounding out the top-five TV dads are Charles Ingalls (Little House of the Prairie), Howard Cunningham (Happy Days), Tim Taylor (Home Improvement) and Ward Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver).

These are the results of a Harris Poll of 1,160 U.S. adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive(R) between May 4 and 10, 2005.

While Cliff Huxtable takes the top spot among all adults regardless of age, generations differ on who the second spot belongs to. Howard Cunningham takes the second spot for both Baby Boomers (27%) and those aged 59 and older (31%). Gen Xers, however, want Charles Ingalls (30%) while Tim Taylor moves into second for those 18 to 27 years old (31%).

When it comes to presidential fathers, there is no clear cut winner. When asked who they would most like to have as a father when choosing between George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, 38 percent would like to have the current president while 37 percent would opt for the former president. One-quarter are not sure. There is a red state/blue state tilt to these results. Those in the Midwest (40%) and South (45%) are more likely to choose Bush while those in the West (39%) and East (52%) are more likely to choose Clinton. There is also a slight gender gap. While men and women are split over Bush (38% each), when it comes to Clinton, men are more likely to want him as a dad than women are (41% versus 34%).

When thinking of their own fathers, among those whose fathers are still alive, 45 percent say they will send him a card on Father's Day while 40 percent will call him and the same number will send him a present. One-quarter (25%) say they will take their dad to lunch or dinner while 12 percent will do nothing. There is a gender difference in how people will treat dear old dad. Women are more likely to buy their dad a present (50% of women vs. 32% of men) and take him to lunch or dinner (31% of women vs. 19% of men) while men are more likely to call him on the phone (44% of men vs. 36% of women).

TABLE 1

FAVORITE TELEVISION DADS "Thinking of television fathers, of the following, please indicate which ones

would you most like to have had as a dad when you were growing up?"

Base: All Adults

Generation

Total Echo Gen Baby Matures
(n=1,160) Boomers Xers Boomers
(18 - 27) (28 - 39) (40 - 58) (59+)
(n=207) (n=265) (n=411) (n=277)
% % % % %
Cliff Huxtable
(The Cosby Show) 36 33 38 39 32
Charles Ingalls
(Little House on
the Prairie) 23 12 30 23 25
Howard Cunningham
(Happy Days) 21 4 16 27 31
Tim Taylor
(Home Improvement) 19 31 17 19 11
Ward Cleaver
(Leave it to
Beaver) 15 2 12 20 20
Jim Anderson
(Father Knows
Best) 14 - 6 16 32
Steve Douglas
(My Three Sons) 13 - 4 21 21
Steven Keaton
(Family Ties) 11 6 20 12 7
Eric Camden
(Seventh Heaven) 11 14 14 10 7
Dan Connor
(Roseanne) 10 13 13 9 5
Mike Brady
(The Brady Bunch) 9 7 13 7 8
Ray Barone
(Everybody Loves
Raymond) 8 15 8 4 7
Hank Hill
(King of the Hill) 6 14 9 3 *
Jim Walsh
(Beverly Hills
90210) 6 10 15 1 *
Danny Tanner
(Full House) 5 14 3 5 2
Gomez Addams
(The Addams
Family) 5 5 9 5 3
Homer Simpson
(The Simpsons) 5 15 3 1 2
Philip Drummond
(Different Strokes) 4 1 7 6 2
Archie Bunker
(All in the Family) 3 2 2 3 7
Herman Munster
(The Munsters) 3 4 3 4 2
Al Bundy
(Married with
Children) 3 8 3 1 2
Peter Griffin
(Family Guy) 2 9 2 - -
Other 2 2 1 1 1
None of these 15 18 10 14 18

Note 1: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
Note 2: Multiple-response question.

TABLE 2
PRESIDENTIAL DADS
"Between these two men, who would you most like to have as a father?"

Base: All Adults

Gender Region
Total Male Female East Midwest South West
(n=1,160) (n=563) (n=597) (n=243) (n=319) (n=362) (n=236)
% % % % % % %
George W. Bush 38 38 38 28 40 45 34
Bill Clinton 37 41 34 52 35 29 39
Not sure 25 21 29 21 25 26 27

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 3
FATHER ALIVE OR DEAD
"Is your father currently alive or deceased?"

Base: All Adults
Total
(n=1,160)
%
Father is alive 51
Father is deceased 49

TABLE 4
FATHER'S DAY PLANS
"What will you do for your dad for Father's Day?"

Base: Fathers are alive

Gender
Total Male Female
(n=582) (n=304) (n=278)
% % %
Send him a card 45 46 44
Buy him a present 40 32 50
Call him 40 44 36
Take him to lunch or dinner 25 19 31
Nothing 12 12 12
Other 8 10 7
Not sure/Refused 8 11 5
Note: Multiple-response question.

Methodology

The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between May 4 and 10, 2005 among a nationwide cross section of 1,160 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for the various sub- samples, as shown in the tables above, is higher and varies. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (nonresponse), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online sample is not a probability sample. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

J24152
Q1250, 1255, 1260, 1265

The Harris Poll(R) #47, June 14, 2005
By Regina Corso, research director, Harris Interactive(R).

About Harris Interactive(R)

Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, NY-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.

Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through its U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries, HI Europe in London (http://www.hieurope.com/), Novatris in Paris (http://www.novatris.com/), and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, http://www.harrispollonline.com/.

Press Contacts:
Nancy Wong
Harris Interactive
585-214-7316

Kelly Gullo
Harris Interactive
585-214-7172

Source: Harris Interactive Inc.

CONTACT: Nancy Wong, +1-585-214-7316, or Kelly Gullo, +1-585-214-7172,
both of Harris Interactive

Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/
http://www.harrispollonline.com/

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