HABIT-FORMING

Continuing economic gloom, the threat of terrorism and increased tension in the Middle East could boost media consumption across the board, but it could spell doom for reality shows like The Osbournes and “in your face” films like Jackass, according to a new survey by Grey Global Group’s MediaCom.

The survey, for which 600 people were questioned at random nationwide last month, found that 43 percent of respondents have developed a set of media viewing and spending habits that would likely be emulated by the population at large, said Russ Booth, director of Media Futures, New York-based MediaCom’s research unit.

These “homefront consumers” cut across all demographic lines, but they skew slightly to a younger age range and a middle-income level and tend to be from the Northeast, according to Booth.