Nearly half of American country music fans think the 1970s and 1980s produced the best music, according to a YouGov poll of more than 17,000 Americans. Country ranked as the fourth-most popular genre behind rock, pop and R&B, with three in 10 (31%) of those polled identifying as fans of country music. While 23% of country fans say the best music came from the 80s and 21% said the 70s, the poll didn’t specify whether the country fans consider the best country music to have been created during those decades.
Some other things they found in the survey:
- Most people believe the 1970s and the 1980s were the best decades for music.
- Overall, 22% of people chose the 1980s as the best decade for music, while 21% chose the 1970s.
- As for the remaining decades:
- 14% chose the 1960s
- 14% prefer the 1990s
- 6% love the 2000s
- 6% like the 1950s or earlier
- Only 3% think the 2010s are the best
Of course, musical preference does depend on age.
- Millennials are most likely to say the 1990s had the best music (23%), while Gen X prefer the 1980s (38%).
- Baby Boomers are more likely to say the 1970s was the best decade for music (38%), while the Silent Generation prefer music made in the 1950s (39%).
And the type of music people listen to also plays a role in their favorite musical decade.
- Rock fans are most likely to say the 1980s and 1970s were the best decades for music (26%), while pop fans chose the 1980s (26%) and R&B fans prefer the 1970s (22%) and the 1980s (21%).
- Meanwhile hip-hop fans are the ones most likely to say the 1990s are the best (26%), while country fans prefer the 1980s (23%).
- Interestingly, regardless of the musical genre people enjoy, no more than 6% felt the 2010s were the best decade for music, while no more than 3% felt the 2020s are the best.
Source: YouGov