It’s a no-brainer that teens are influenced by celebrities and respond to well-chosen spokespeople. The hard part is figuring out who. Stars see their stock go up or down almost daily.

So I was interested to read the results of Pangea Media’s survey, conducted on the teen quiz site Quibblo, of the pop culture bests and worsts of 2009. Pangea connects marketers and consumers using quiz-based advertising solutions and focused market research. In this case, Pangea tracked the attitudes of more than 1,200 teens.

In terms of music, Taylor Swift was the favorite artist of 41 [ ...continue reading ]]]>

It’s a no-brainer that teens are influenced by celebrities and respond to well-chosen spokespeople. The hard part is figuring out who. Stars see their stock go up or down almost daily.

So I was interested to read the results of Pangea Media’s survey, conducted on the teen quiz site Quibblo, of the pop culture bests and worsts of 2009. Pangea connects marketers and consumers using quiz-based advertising solutions and focused market research. In this case, Pangea tracked the attitudes of more than 1,200 teens.

In terms of music, Taylor Swift was the favorite artist of 41 percent of respondents, getting twice as many votes as Beyoncé and Muse. She was also the best teen celebrity role model. The best pop album was The E.N.D. by the Black-Eyed Peas.

As for the worsts, Miley Cyrus has gone from teen idol to most annoying celebrity and worst teen celebrity role model, according to 44 percent of respondents. Also a poor role model, for 30 percent, is Jamie Lynn Spears (who announced she was pregnant at age 16). A quarter said Kanye West is annoying—quite likely a reaction to his crashing Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMAs.

Teens’ best TV shows included “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “CSI” and “Glee.” The most popular animated movie was Up. But what teens are really excited about is the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse—53 percent said this is the movie they’re most looking forward to, twice as many as said they’re anticipating the latest Harry Potter film.

Entertainment aside, teens reported that their No. 1 concern for 2010 is grades—followed by their parents’ job stability and the economy.