"About one-​in-​seven U.S. adults (15%) say they have ever used a mail-​in DNA testing service from a company such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Most of them say they did so to learn more about their family origins, and a notable share say the results surprised them."

"These findings come amid the growing availability and popularity of direct-​to-​consumer DNA testing and as media attention to personal stories of revelations about identity and newly discovered relatives abounds."

"When asked about their reasons for using a mail-​in DNA testing service, the vast majority of those who have done so (87%) say they wanted to learn more about where their family came from. About a third say they did so to get information about their health or family medical history (36%) and to connect with relatives they might have but didn’t know about (also 36%)."

"For the most part, people’s DNA test results about their family history line up with their expectations — but a substantial portion of mail-​in test users view some of the findings as unforeseen."

"About four-​in-​ten (38%) say they were surprised by what their DNA test results showed about what countries or continents their ancestors came from, while 27% express surprise at what these results indicated about their ancestors’ racial or ethnic background."

"About a quarter (26%) of those who used mail-​in DNA testing for health related reasons say they were surprised by the information provided about their health or family medical history. Women are more likely than men to say they were surprised by the health information in their results (33% vs. 19%)."

"In addition, DNA test results highlighted new family ties for a notable share of mail-​in test users. Roughly a quarter (27%) of those who say they have used mail-​in DNA testing say they learned about close relatives they didn’t know about previously."

"Users of mail-​in DNA testing services differ by income and by race and ethnicity. Higher-​income adults are among the most likely to say they have used a mail-​in DNA testing service. About a quarter (27%) of those with annual family incomes of $150,000 or more say they have done so, compared with 19% of those with incomes between $75,000 and $149,999, 15% of those with incomes between $30,000 and $74,999, and 9% of those with incomes less than $30,000."

Not surprisingly, History Buffs are 110% more likely than others to say that history/​documentaries are their favorite types of programming, according to AudienceSCAN. On average, more than half of these consumers spend a minimum of three hours watching TV on a daily basis, and last year, most took action after seeing a TV commercial. When they're not watching (or maybe while they're watching) TV, they could be on their computers or smartphones that more than half of them own for personal use. They're 42% more likely than others to find ads on their mobile apps useful and, last year, they took action because of email ads, ads on both digital and over-​the-​air radio, both print and online magazines and text link ads on websites.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on laboratories and biotechnology industry, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.