political views tied towards hobbies

[angus]

From conservative to progressive
gearheads*>Model train hobbyists>Comic book fan boys>HAM Radio operators>computerheads>political junkies>drug users

not sure I'm buying that at all.

I have noticed that coin collectors are generally Republicans while stamp collectors are Democrats.  Porn enthusiasts tend to be centrists.

[angus]

In 1996 Bill Clinton's reelection strategists noticed that basketball fans, knitters, and daytime talk-show viewers were generally his supporters, while fans of country music, college football, and the TV comedy show "Friends" favored Republican Bob Dole.  Apparently they used some of this data to help target their ads with certain TV programs.

Later, some other studies at Carleton College were done which back up freepcrusher's claims that Walmart shoppers are pro-gun, small-government types.  (I have noticed an impressive array of firearms at my local Walmart.)  And Target voters, according to those same studies, are cost-conscious, independent-minded shoppers who are likely to be important in swing states in a close election.  (The nearest Target is right across the street from Walmart here, and their gun selection is decidedly less impressive.  In fact, I've only seen water guns, toy guns, and the mock Playstation3 assault rifles marketed by video game manufacturers which teach our children to be violent sociopaths.  But I don't recall seeing any real guns there.)

According to Media Metrix, web behavior apparently also differs between Republicans and Democrats.  Registered Republicans are more likely to visit business and financial news sites such as schwab.com or etrade.com as well as on-line sports websites such as ESPN.com.  Democrats are more likely to visit retail sites and sites that provide specific advice on how to perform certain tasks like gardening or parenting. 

[angus]

So, basing on this data only, what are my political views?

well, that's the problem, isn't it?  

I don't own a gun.  I have never owned a gun.  I don't want any guns in my home.  When my son gets a water gun as a party favor, I throw it in the garbage as soon as he comes home.  Also, we don't practice any religion.  My son has just turned six and has never been to see a priest, a rabbi, a guru, or an imam.  Of course, he has visited a Catholic cathedral, a protestant church, a mosque, a Buddhist temple, and a Dao temple, but only as a tourist.  (A rather rambunctuous one, at that.)  And I'm hardly a "socially conservative."  No one my age except a few social outcasts  and weirdos are less "socially conservative" than I.  Moreover, I'm a cheapskate and a swing voter.  I supported Obama in 2008, Bush in the prior two elections, and Clinton both times in the 90s.  I'm exactly the sort of "cost-conscious, independent-minded voter" that many claim to shop at Target.

Yet, I like Wal-mart way, way more than Target.  And they're right across the street from one another so it's not like the hassle factor is any different.  In fact, I'm a huge fan of Wal-mart.  I have been to Wal-marts in seven countries.  In this country, I have visited Walmarts as far east as Massachusetts and as far west as Maui.  Once, I visited four different Wal-mart stores in one day!  What a great day that was.

Don't read too much into these studies.  Sure, Republicans are slightly more likely to be found at football games or watching "Friends" than Democrats, and Democrats are slightly more likely to be watching basketball or knitting, but it's not as though you can say someone is a Democrat just because he's at a basketball game, or that he's a Republican just because he's at a football game.  Somewhere out there, there's someone diametrically opposed to you politically that likes guinea pigs, swimming, reading, and taking pictures.  

[angus]

fans of country music, college football, and the TV comedy show "Friends" favored Republican Bob Dole.

The "Friends" thing really surprises me. Friends is very much about a stereotypical democratic leaning demographic (young people) who are single or shacking up (also dem leaning) and live in a big city (even more likely to vote dem).

Maybe.  I never thought about it that deeply.  I know that it's one of those very shallow shows with lots of easy dialogue, making it the perfect show for English as a foreign language students to watch.  More than one foreigner has told me that she was advised by her teacher specifically to watch Friends. 

As for the politics of the show, I think they were fairly apolitical.  I can't imagine anyone of either party being offended by the show.  "Shacking up" by the way, generally refers to POSSLQ modality, and not to three white, hetero female roomies or three white, hetero male roomies sharing an apartment. 

Or if you're right, then maybe all that gets trumped when you're talking about supporting a guy who refers to himself in the third person.  "Bob Dole is not going to raise your taxes."  "Bob Dole wouldn't do that."  I guess if you like Bob Dole, you probably also like Chandler.

And anyway, I don't think the trend was great.  Just like knitting and sports, it's only a slight preference, just to make a difference if you're on a tight budget and targeting TV audiences, but not enough to make bets and generalizations.

[angus]

Republicans are hostile towards the arts compare to Dems

Really?  Where do you come by that little gem of a factoid? 

I do not know whether museum and opera houses and theaters require their private donors to disclose political ideologies as a precondition of donation, but I'd imagine that they do not.  Still, we know that the main source of the funding of the arts needs to be through philanthropy.  And that happens best in a sound and growing economy.  One could argue that the economy continues to be stymied by the spending of government that frustrates individuals who would otherwise be willing to support the arts.