January 28th, 2013, Emilene Parry
On 14th October 2012, Felix Baumgartner set the world record for skydiving by jumping from the height of 39 kilometers. He also became the first person to break the sound barrier. His achievement was telecasted live, making headlines all over the world. We wanted to find out what YouGov Lab participants thought about the jump and whether or not they felt that it deserved the amount of media attention it received.
A vast majority of YouGov Lab participants say they had heard of Felix Baumgartner. Most of these participants had seen the video of the jump; among them two-fifths claim they watched it live. Over one-third say they watched the recorded video on the Internet.
When asked about the media attention that this event received, over half said ‘it got just the right amount of media attention it deserved’, whilst one-third believe that ‘it got more media attention than it deserved’ and only 1 in 10 felt that ‘it got less media attention than it deserved’.
Those who felt it got more media attention than it deserved:
“There have been a lot of Guinness Record attempts before, and none have got so much media attention. RED BULL just pumped this overtime!” – Najeem, Qatar
“There are more important things happening in this world that deserve more attention than Felix” – Anonymous
“It wasn't a serious issue for our lives; we need our lives to be saved from unrest in Islamic countries. This is a big issue for me.” – Shah Hussain, Pakistan
“Media needs to concentrate more on major issues than these silly things.” – Anonymous.
Those who felt it got just the right amount of media attention it deserved:
“That was a great and unique effort by this guy.” – Muhammad Athar Shah
“Because it was awesome.” – Anonymous
“We all need to push the boundaries and see what we can achieve and those brave enough to do it do it for us all.” – Anonymous, UAE
“Because it was very different” – Tariq, UAE
Those who felt it got less media attention than it deserved:
“It should be shown a lot on media to attract attention of people about this and about the risks” – Brice
“It’s a great achievement.” – Sadeeqa, Pakistan
“Because I haven't heard a lot about it in the media.” – Anonymous, UAE
Labs participants overall impression of the jump:
“It was amazing and worth the hype it deserved” – Anonymous
“I really don’t like this kind of extreme sport” – Brice
“I like it and I wish that I could also do this. It’s my dream” – Muhammad Athar Shah
“It was just OK.” – Shah Hussain, Pakistan
“It maybe courageous but there are a lot of cases in the world need to be focused on and solved such as having our own state in Palestine with full membership in the UN.” – MohAliBarham
“The attempt and record itself was really a highlight and refreshing to read about. But I just couldn't understand the over-publicity the event received.” – Najeem, Qatar
“It is motivational.” – Tariq, UAE