U.S. Teens Would Give Grammys to Carey and West

In a Harris Interactive survey, 1,092 teens aged 13 to 18 were asked who they would give the Grammy to in the top categories. The results seemed to favor former chart toppers.

When it comes to Record of the Year, 27% of those polled would give the Grammy to the alternative group Greenday for their single “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” Their second choice,Kanye West‘s “Gold Digger,” acquired 17% of the vote.

For Song of the Year, the teens overwhelming picked “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey, giving her 27% of the vote. Their second choice, Rascal Flatts’ “The Broken Road,” only received 14%. U2 and Bruce Springsteen together didn’t gather as many votes as the second place choice. 10% liked U2’s “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” while only 5% would pick Springsteen’s “Devils & Dust.”

In the Best New Artist category 30% of those polled picked Fall Out Boy. Ciara received 21%. SugarLand, John Legend, and Keane took less then 10% each.

Dana Markow, vice president of Youth Research at Harris Interactive commented on the results of the poll.

These results often show us the differing preferences between teens and The Recording Academy that determines the awards. Young people are more likely to choose new, young artists such as Kanye West or John Legend, while showing little appreciation for the more established musicians — like Paul McCartney, U2, and Bruce Springsteen — of their parents’ generation.

The Harris Interactive poll was conducted over the internet and questioned a cross section of 1,092 US teens, aged 13 to 18 between December 14 and 20, 2005. The poll is believed to have a 3 percentage point margin of error.

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards will air February 8, 2006, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on the CBS television network.