C. CRUISE DEMOGRAPHICS

Results of Research

Demographic Description

This study was conducted among a random sample of adults over 25 years of age with minimum annual household incomes of $40,000. These criteria were used based on prior research conducted for CLIA by TNS that demonstrated that 96 percent of cruisers meet these minimums. As a result, respondents for this study represent a very viable target market.

Total Representative Market: The median (the point at which half of the respondents fall below and the other half places above) respondent age is 43, representing median annual household incomes of $75,000. Over half (56%) hold full time jobs; one in eight (13%) is retired. Over half (52%) are college graduates; nine out of ten are white (90%). Respondents are nearly evenly split by gender (46% male and 54% female), a result of the quota imposed for the study.

Cruisers tend to be older (median of 49) than randomly selected respondents (43), with higher household incomes ($84,000 vs. $75,000), and higher levels of educational attainment (57% college grad vs. 52%; 23% post-graduate vs. 20%). Both groups are predominantly married (83% cruisers vs. 80% total). Consistent with their older age, cruisers are more likely to be retired (16%) than those in the total representative sample (13%).

Non-Cruiser Vacationers, defined as those who spend three or more nights away from home for leisure trips, are the youngest of the four segments (42) and least likely retired (11%). Their median household incomes are similar to those of average respondents ($73,000 vs. $75,000 as noted above), but below cruisers ($84,000).

Non-cruisers/Non-vacationers indicate substantially lower median household incomes than cruisers ($58,000 vs. $84,000), have less formal education (30% graduated college vs. 57%), are less likely married (73% vs. 83%), but are similar to cruisers in other measures: the proportion that works full-time (55% vs. 57% cruisers) and the median age (48 vs. 49).