Look around you. Three quarters of young folk wish that werewolves and vampires like those in the Twilight saga were real, while one third of women rate Edward and Bella's first kiss and date better than their own. At least that is the suggestion inferred by new study by Universal Sony Pictures.
The research was conducted by Lonergan Research ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray release of the saga's final instalment, Breaking Dawn Part 2. It took place online last month with a permission-based panel of 1,054 Australians aged 12-34 years old.
The study's lead finding was that three quarters of Australians in that bracket yearned for vampire and werewolf supernatural abilities, mainly the ability to see into the future. This was followed closely by mind reading, super strength, and immortality.
It also argued that the saga's human-vampire-werewolf love triangle had "significantly raised Australians' expectations of romance", and that more than 50% of local young women desired for a relationship that rivaled that of its main characters, Edward and Bella.
Apparantly more than third of them also rated the duo's first kiss and data as better than their own. Fifteen percent also said that the on-screen duo's decision to abstain from sex before marriage had impacted their decision to be celibate until married.
Meanwhile, 76% of the pollsters had watched at least one Twilight film. Some had watched a single movie up to 20 times, claimed the outfit.
The report also tapped psychologist Meredith Fuller for her insights. She said in a statement: "The comparison of real life events and situations to the storylines of films and books by everyday people is not new. The escapism that films such as those in The Twilight Saga offer can sometimes be extremly strong, offering people an 'away', even for 90 minutes, from their own lives," she suggested.
"It isn't only escapism; a number of teens find that these films - in addition to their friends discussing the themes - provide a sense of ethics or codes to live their lives by."
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