Whether you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek depends on your age, your politics and your gender...
Today the second installment of the Star Trek franchise reboot, Star Trek Into Darkness, arrives in UK cinemas. Britain has also received special place in this latest film, as the trailer for the film prominently features a massive explosion in a futuristic London, and real-life Londoner Benedict Cumberbatch as the story's villain.
A new YouGov survey asking Britons whether they prefer Star Trek or Star Wars reveals striking differences in preference among different demographics. Overall, the results are roughly equal, with 52% of those who have a preference choosing Star Wars to 48% for Star Trek.
The Force is strongest in Labour voters, with 57% preferring Star Wars to 43% preferring Star Trek. This puts them at odds with Coalition voters: Liberal Democrats went for Star Trek over Star Wars by 64% to 36%, and Tory voters also prefer Star Trek (at 53%) more than Star Wars (at 47%). UKIP supporters were evenly split in preference for either sci-fi franchise.
There also seems to be a correlation between age and preference. Where 78% of Britons between the ages of 18 and 24 go for Star Wars - more than three times as many as pick Star Trek (22%) - an equal proportion (69%) of those over the age of 60 go for Star Trek versus only 31% who pick Star Wars.
The genders were divided, too. Men are on the side of the Jedi by a margin of 13% (56% to 24%), while women prefer the crew of the USS Enterprise by a margin of 10% (55% to 45%). Men are also much more likely to have an opinion on the matter: only a third said they preferred neither franchise, compared to 45% of women who said so.
*Unless otherwise noted all subsequent percentages have been resampled to reflect respective proportions of British adults within each demographic group that stated a preference for Star Wars or Star Trek (e.g. excluding those who responded "Neither" or "Don't know")
Not yet a member of YouGov? Make your opinion count by joining today!
