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Study finds conventional wisdom about what TV Republicans, Democrats watch

Stephen Colbert, left, and Jon Stewart, right. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Conventional wisdom would have you believe that viewers of Comedy Central's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" are almost all liberals.

Now, a new study shows that there may be something to that.

According to a survey prepared for Entertainment Weekly by the consumer research company Experian, Americans' partisan preferences don't end with their thoughts on how to best fix the economy: Democrats and Republicans also watch very different television.

The report, which measures the favorite and least favorite television programs of self-described "liberal Democrats" and "conservative Republicans," finds that Democrats trend toward more "sarcastic" fare, while Republicans go for "serious work-centered shows" and reality competitions, according to EW.

Not infrequently, a show beloved by one party is reviled by the other.

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and the "Colbert Report" - both comedy news programs on Comedy Central - topped liberals' lists of favorites. Republicans, on the other hand, named both shows among their least favorite programs (second only to "Weeds," a dark comedy about a droll, marijuana-dealing matriarch).

Meanwhile, "Swamp Loggers," a Discovery channel show about "swamp loggers working the murky, dangerous swamps of North Carolina in search of high value timber" - was conservatives' top TV pick. Democrats named it their least favorite show.

According to the survey, shows that skew female tend to do better among Democrats; male-friendly programs, on the other hand, are higher-performing among Republicans. Comedies were also a Democratic favorite: "30 Rock," "Parks and Recreation," "Modern Family," "Glee" and "It's always Sunny in Philadelphia" also topped the liberal list. ("The View" scored high, too.)

For Republicans, History channel shows were disproportionately high-achieving: in addition to ABC's "The Bachelor" and "Castle," several History shows made the GOP top 10 list - including "Top Shot," "Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy," "American Pickers," "Pawn Stars," and "Swamp People."

Again reinforcing conventional wisdom, Republicans prefer "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno"; liberals, on the other hand favor "The Late Show With David Letterman."

Read the full results here.

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