iPods "in" and beer "out"?
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-08 15:01
 Move over Bud. College life isn't just about drinking beer.
In a rare instance, Apple Computer Inc.'s iconic iPod music player surpassed
beer drinking as the most "in" thing among undergraduate college students,
according to the latest biannual market research study by Ridgewood, N.J.-based
Student Monitor.
Nearly three quarters, or 73 percent, of 1,200 students surveyed said iPods
were "in" - more than any other item in a list that also included text
messaging, bar hopping and downloading music. advertisement
In the year-ago study, only 59 percent of students named the iPod as "in,"
putting the gadget well below alcohol-related activities.
This year, drinking beer and Facebook.com, a social networking Web site, were
tied for second most popular, with 71 percent of the students identifying them
as "in."
The only other time beer was temporarily dethroned in the 18 years of the
survey was in 1997 - by the Internet, said Eric Weil, a managing partner at
Student Monitor.
Though beer might soon regain its No. 1 spot, as it quickly did a decade ago,
the iPod's popularity is still "a remarkable sign," Weil said. "For those who
believe there's an excessive amount of drinking on campus, now there's something
else that's common on campuses."
Student Monitor conducted the survey the week of March 6, interviewing
full-time undergraduate students at 100 U.S. colleges. The margin of error is
plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
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