Adolescents, Television and Support for Government

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 44, Heft 3, S. 330-340

Abstract

Examined are effects of television as a mediating agency in political socialization. Interviews were conducted with a random sample of 600 adolescents in Phoenix, Ariz with an 81% response rate for originally selected youth. Factor analysis of programs watched identified 6 factors: adult entertainment, juvenile entertainment, cartoons, news, public affairs, & police shows. A negative relationship was found between amount of television watching & support for all levels of government, which persisted after income, race, & political philosophy were controlled for. Adult entertainment, news, & cartoons are negatively related to support; juvenile entertainment is positively related, & public affairs & police shows are unrelated. Significant effect variation was found between different police & news shows. Content analysis is needed to interpret these results. 8 Tables. Modified HA.