Sci Fi research reveals 7m people in the UK are geeks

by Sam Matthews, Brand Republic 28-Jun-05, 11:00

LONDON – The NBC Universal-owned Sci Fi Channel has undertaken its largest consumer research project, which aims to revolutionise the perception of 'geeks', as almost 7m people in the UK admit to falling into the category.

The research in association with media agency Rocket, reveals thet 6.9m people in the UK are geeks, with passions including music, cooking, cars and gadgets.

Not only is this group large, but they are predominantly ABC1 consumers with £8.2bn a year to spend pursuing their hobbies.

Redefining the notion that geeks are men, the research also concluded that 33% are female and that a third of those spend more than £50 a month on computer games.

The research also revealed that over a third of men spend more than 10 hours a week cooking or eating out.

Geeks are early adopters as well, with 90% of geeks being first among their friends to buy new products and 87% say their friends seek their advice before making purchasing decisions.

Martin Heaton Cooper, advertising sales director for Sci Fi, said: "It's clear that in a time of advertising overload and scepticism, the mainstream is turning to their new geek counterparts to help them make product decisions."

The Sci Fi Geekforce Report is due to be released in July.

The report used qualitative focus groups and TGI/Postscript analysis to identify and construct a unique core group of geeks.

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