Inside the Minds of The Buglers: The 2025 Hot Potato Survey
October 2025
The Bugle has conducted its “Hot Potato Survey,” revealing a fascinating portrait of its global audience for the first time.
A Clear Verdict on Donald J. Trump
In a week marked by global headlines - including the Gaza ceasefire - respondents expressed overwhelming disapproval of Donald Trump’s influence in 2025. Across 39 countries, 94.4% described his impact as negative. Among American listeners, that figure rose to 98.5%, with not a single respondent in 19 countries citing Trump as a positive force.
Conspiracy Theories Rejected
Bugle listeners demonstrated a strong preference for rational thinking. 73.1% called bullshit on conspiracy theories outright. While some curiosity remains around specific topics—such as the Mandela Effect (11.1%), the JFK assassination (9.9%), and the Covid lab leak (9.3%)—belief in fringe ideas like 5G being dangerous was virtually non-existent (0.4%).
Political Identity and Beliefs
The Bugle’s audience skews left, with 54.2% identifying as “mainstream left.” The further left respondents leaned, the more likely they were to identify as atheists. A small subset even humorously listed “Santa Claus” as their religion. Religious affiliation varied widely. 52.4% reported having no religion, and a further 17% identified as atheists. Jewish listeners were notably more likely to be paid subscribers, while Christian respondents under-indexed in paid support.
Substance Use and Lifestyle
Substance use correlated with political leanings. Far-left respondents reported the highest levels of alcohol and drug use, while Green Party voters drank the least. Overall, 33.5% admitted to using recreational drugs, with cannabis (22.2%) being the most common, followed by psilocybin (6%) and MDMA (5.7%). Smoking or vaping was reported by 11.6% of respondents.
Content Preferences and Listener Engagement
Listeners expressed a strong desire for broader global coverage. 67.9% want more stories from underreported regions, with paid subscribers even more enthusiastic (76.4%). Additionally, 72.5% would welcome a second, shorter episode each week – will that see some changes taking place? Swearing remains a divisive issue. 53.5% of respondents support removing all bleeps, with free listeners more likely to favour unfiltered language than paid subscribers. This remains a wedge issue for Buglers.
Sports and Cultural Interests
Football/soccer was the most popular sport (38.5%), followed by cricket (34.4%) and rugby (24.8%). American football showed surprising popularity in the UK and Germany, outpacing traditional American sports like baseball.
Historical Curiosity and Imagination
When asked which historical figure they would most like to hear co-host The Bugle, Florence Nightingale emerged as the clear favourite, particularly in the context of the Crimean War. This question revealed a strong appetite for historical storytelling and satire. Who knew?
*Survey results based on answers from 13-20th October 2025, with 1040 replies. Respondents were from… the United Kingdom (39.4%), 27.5% from the USA. Canada and Australia make up 6.3% each, and around 20% from RoW.