GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- August 16th marks the 23rd anniversary of Elvis Presley's untimely death. Known as the "Hillbilly Cat" when he first toured the South in 1954, Elvis finally made his big splash on the national stage in 1956 when he appeared on Ed Sullivan's Talk of the Town TV show. Nearly half a century later, in a Gallup poll conducted March 5-7, 1999, Elvis was overwhelmingly named the greatest individual Rock and Roll star of all time by 33% of Americans. His closest competition came from Mick Jagger in second place with 5% mention, followed by Elton John with 3%. While Elvis was a soloist throughout his career, he also managed to garner 1% of the vote for greatest Rock and Roll band of all time.
Elvis' Appeal Spans Age Groups
Nearly half of Americans -- 45% -- called themselves "fans" of
Elvis according to a Gallup poll conducted August 12-13, 1997 on
the 20th anniversary of his death. . Elvis' popularity was
strongest with baby boomers, thirty to forty-nine years old, among
whom a majority (54%) consider themselves fans. Forty-six percent
of 50 to 64 year olds, 38% of 18 to 24 year olds, and 32% of those
65 and older were self-proclaimed Elvis fans. The level of support
expressed by the youngest age group -- 18 to 24 year olds -- is
perhaps a testament to The King's lasting legacy -- he passed away
before many of them were born.
While the Sullivan show limited its exposure of Elvis to just the waist up, contemporary society appears much more accepting of Presley's style. Seventy-one percent of Americans say that Elvis had a good influence on American culture and society overall. Just 17% think he had a bad influence and 5% say his influence was mixed.
Four in ten Americans said they would be willing to pay to see Elvis perform if he were alive today. Nearly two-thirds of those who consider themselves fans of Elvis -- 66% -- would pay to see him perform in person. In addition, 18% of those who do not consider themselves fans would be willing to pay to see him perform.
Very Few Americans Believe Elvis is Alive
Today
"Elvis Lives" is the mantra of many of The King's fans, and many
have speculated over the years that Presley did not die, but rather
went into hiding. Several people have reported "Elvis sightings" in
recent years, but the vast majority of Americans do in fact believe
that Elvis is in fact dead. Only 4% of Americans believed that
Elvis is alive when asked in the 1997 poll, while 93% of Americans
were certain Elvis is no longer alive, with 3% are unsure.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 819 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted August 12-13, 1997 and 1,021 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted March 5-7, 1999. For results based on this sample, one
can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus
3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.
Do you personally believe Elvis Presley is still alive, or not
| 4% | Yes |
| 93 | No |
| 3 100% |
No opinion |
Do you consider yourself a fan of Elvis Presley, or not?
| 45% | Yes, a fan |
| 55 | No, not a fan |
| * 100% |
No opinion |
If Elvis Presley were alive today, would you pay to see him
perform, or not?
| 40% | Yes |
| 59 | No |
| 1 100% |
No opinion |
IF YES: How much would you be willing to pay in order to watch
Elvis Presley perform in person?
BASED ON -- 326 -- NATIONAL ADULTS WHO WOULD PAY TO SEE ELVIS
PERFORM; ± 6 PCT PTS
| 26% | Under $25 |
| 32 | $25-49 |
| 17 | $50-99 |
| 19 | $100 or more |
| 6 100% |
No opinion |
MEDIAN $30
If you had to choose, would you say that, overall, Elvis Presley
had a good influence or a bad influence on American culture and
society?
| 71% | Good influence |
| 17 | Bad influence |
| 5 | MIXED (VOL.) |
| 3 | NEITHER//NO INFLUENCE (VOL.) |
| 4 100% |
No opinion |
What do you think is the greatest Rock and Roll band or group of all time?
| 99 Mar 5-7 | 95 Aug 28-30** | |
| 29% | 26% | The Beatles |
| 9 | 9 | The Rolling Stones |
| 3 | 4 | Led Zeppelin |
| 2 | 3 | The Eagles |
| 2 | -- | Aerosmith |
| 2 | -- | The Beach Boys |
| 1 | 3 | The Grateful Dead |
| 1 | -- | U2 |
| 1 | 1 | The Who |
| 1 | -- | Pink Floyd |
| 1 | -- | Elvis |
| 1 | -- | Fleetwood Mac |
| 1 | -- | Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| 1 | -- | Bill Haley and the Comets |
| 1 | -- | AC/DC |
| 1 | -- | Bob Seger |
| 1 | -- | Lynard Skynard |
| 1 | -- | The Doors |
| 1 | -- | The Bee Gees |
| 1 | -- | Metallica |
| 13 | 23 | Other (all less than 1%) |
| 4 | 5 | NONE (VOL.) |
| 22 100% |
26 100% |
No opinion |
** Based on half sample
Thinking of individual singers or band members, who do you think
is the greatest Rock and Roll star of all time?
| 99 Mar 5-7 | 95 Aug 28-30** | |
| 33% | 35% | Elvis Presley |
| 5 | 4 | Mick Jagger |
| 3 | -- | Elton John |
| 2 | 1 | Bruce Springsteen |
| 2 | 3 | Jimi Hendrix |
| 2 | 2 | Paul McCartney |
| 2 | 5 | Michael Jackson |
| 2 | 2 | Eric Clapton |
| 1 | 2 | John Lennon |
| 1 | -- | Ozzy Osborne |
| 1 | -- | Steven Tyler |
| 1 | -- | Robert Plant |
| 1 | -- | Fats Domino |
| 1 | -- | Bob Seger |
| 1 | -- | Prince |
| 1 | -- | Billy Joel |
| 1 | -- | Garth Brooks |
| 1 | 1 | Rod Stewart |
| -- | 1 | Bob Dylan |
| * | 2 | Jerry Garcia |
| 15 | 13 | Other (all less than 1%) |
| 2 | 3 | NONE (VOL.) |
| 22 100% |
26 100% |
No opinion |
*Less than 0.5%
** Based on half sample