Young people are better versed in the romantic trials and tragedies of Justin Bieber than Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet or Macbeth, according to a new study.
Research has found that Britain’s under-25s are more likely to recognise a lyric by the Canadian pop star than a line by Shakespeare.
The survey revealed 43% could identify Bieber’s lyrics, while 38% recognised the work of the bard. One third of people could not recognise “To be or not to be” – perhaps Shakespeare’s most repeated line.
Instead, music streaming platform Deezer – which commissioned the study to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death – found that Bieber’s lyrics “Girlfriend, girlfriend, you could be my girlfriend” and “Is it too late now to say sorry?” resonated much better, with more than half identifying them with the singer.
Bieber, 22, was the most streamed artist on Deezer this year, following the release of his album Purpose in 2015.
Other famed Shakespeare lines fared even worse: just 12% knew that he was the author of “Strong reasons make strong actions”, while 17% recognised “All that glitters is not gold” as being penned by the bard (see footnote).
Sam Lee, Deezer UK & Ireland’s music editor, said: “Like Shakespeare, Justin Bieber is undoubtedly one of the most well-known figures of his time and his popularity means people nowadays seem to know their ‘baby, baby, baby, ohs’ more than their ‘wherefore art thou Romeo’s.’”
The survey of 1,000 UK adults, aged between 18-25, was conducted by One Poll in April 2016.
• This footnote was appended on 21 April 2016: the phrase “All that glitters is not gold” is derived from a passage in the Merchant of Venice which actually says “All that glisters is not gold”.
