Why have contestants from Southern states dominated on "American Idol" for six seasons? Will the trend continue in season 7, launching Jan. 15?


These are burning questions Idol fans across the U.S. have asked since the show started, and that subject has generated stories in all media, including The New York Times.


From its hub in Birmingham, Ala., Luckie & Co. has been creating cutting-edge campaigns for the country for more than half a century. Most recently, Luckie took up the challenge of finding out why their fellow Southerners were performing so well on "American Idol" by conducting a nationwide survey.


"We live at the epicenter of the pop culture phenomenon that is 'American Idol,' since two of the six Idol winners have come from Birmingham, and other Alabamians have done very, very well on the show," said Jay Waters, Luckie's chief strategy officer. "So, it made sense for us to check America's pulse to see how they thought season 7 was going play out. And it fit right in with our ongoing efforts to stay on top of consumer and pop-culture trends"


Of 1,005 people polled, 39.7 percent were fans of "American Idol." Looking at those fans, several results showed statistically significant differences in the responses between those in the Northeast and the South. The dramatic differences are worth noting as they rekindle an age-old rivalry between the two factions.


The first six seasons of "American Idol," an inordinate number of contestants from Southern states were finalists or winners:


-- Season 1- First runner-up, Justin Guarini from Doylestown, Penn., was
born and raised in Georgia. Three more of the top 12 finalists were
from the South. (Total Southerners in final 10:4)

-- Season 2 - Winner, Ruben Studdard, from Birmingham, Ala., beat Clay
Aiken from Raleigh, N.C. Five of the other 12 finalists were from
Southern states. (Total Southerners in final 12:7).

-- Season 3 - Fantasia Barrino from High Point, N.C., beat Diana DeGarmo
of Snellville, Ga. (born in Birmingham) to take the title. Two of the
other top 12 finalists were from Southern states. (Total Southerners in
final 12:4)

-- Season 4 - Winner, Carrie Underwood from Checotah, Okla., defeated Bo
Bice from Helena, Ala. (a suburb of Birmingham). (Total Southerners in
final 12:7)

-- Season 5 - Winner Taylor Hicks hailed from Birmingham, and seven of the
top 12 finalists were from the South. (Total Southerners in top 12:8).

-- Season 6 - Six of the top 12 finalists were from Southern states.


Many of these successful Southerners haven't just ranked on the show, they have sold millions of albums afterwards and some, like Carrie Underwood, have gone multi-platinum after their Idol debut.


Asked to explain why Southerners had done so well in past Idol competitions, 47 percent of all Southerners polled said it was because they were more confident of their talent than contestants from other parts of the country. Another 37 percent said it was "in the genes" and 31 percent of Northerners concurred.


Asked how they thought season 7 would play out, most Southerners thought it would be another Southern sweep, with 40 percent saying the next winner "definitely" will be from the South because the region holds "the country's musical talent pool."


In the Northeast, the same number felt the opposite, with 38 percent saying there is "no chance" the next winner will come from the South. They said that while the South has had its share of Idol winners, it is time for the talent in the rest of the country to shine.