Music taste = Public enemy? 

14 September 06 - Do you like Ice Cube? Perhaps you're a massive fan of Paul Oakenfold, NWA or Eminem - well according to research out today, if hip hop and dance music is your thing then you are more likely to be into drugs, crime, and will possibly have had more sexual partners than most people over the last 5 years.

More than 2,500 people were interviewed for the study, which is published in the scientific journal Psychology of Music.

They answered questions on their living arrangements, political beliefs, education, work and pastimes.

"It comes out in the study that, in these types of music, fans score worse in various behaviours, such as criminality, sexual promiscuity and drug use," said Dr Adrian North, who led the research.

"It was shown that this had nothing to do with their ethnic backgrounds," he added. "The behaviour was linked purely to musical taste in its own right."

"We want to paint the first worldwide picture of who likes what"
Doctor Adrian North

They discovered that fans of every style of music had taken drugs, with those who preferred DJ-based club music topping the list.

More than a quarter of classical music fans have tried cannabis. The study also revealed that blues buffs are the most likely to have received a driving penalty.

And to give a more accurate portrayal of how musical tastes correlate with people's lifestyles, they are now seeking to expand their survey on a global scale.

They hope to recruit 10,000 interviewees on their website for further research, which is being funded by the British Academy .

"We want to paint the first worldwide picture of who likes what," said Dr North.


Adrian Larkin