Just so you'll know for the future...
Not all college studies are funded. Especially when it's published in a non-hard science scholarly journal. Non-tenured professors need to publish to help their bid to become tenured. Tenured professors need to publish to keep their names in people's faces and to add extra bells and whistles to their CV and bring favorable notice to the school.
Hard science studies and research papers are probably funded, but they're also actually producing something with some utility.
If a professor is doing the study, he is 'funded' by his university salary. At least that is how I'd look at it.
I do suppose there is some use to this study. I'm sure advertisers and marketers can consider the information. Still it's pretty trivial.
Yeah, pretty much. But most professors are also teaching a few courses and bringing in revenue above their salaries. Teaching isn't a field a person enters seeking money and glory ;-)
I'm glad ballooning college costs are at least able to fund important studies like this.