Violence Essay, Research Paper

Apr. 8, 1996

Vol. 4 – No. 68

Poll blames many ills on, what else, TV

A new poll blames television for many of society’s troubles. It found that more than two-thirds of Americans believe TV contributes to violence, erodes family values and fosters a distrust of government.

The poll, appearing in U.S. News & World Report, also found that the public is deeply troubled about increasingly graphic portrayals of sex during prime time.

Almost 80% of Hollywood executives questioned by mail in a separate survey for U.S. News agreed there was a link between TV violence and violence in real life, but they were not nearly as concerned about TV’s role in other social problems.

One thousand adults were interviewed for poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. U.S. News said 570 of the 6,500 Hollywood executives who received the mail surveys responded to them.

“It is not a scientific survey, but the total number of responses was significant and suggests that many Hollywood leaders are concerned about trends in the television business,” the magazine said in a statement.

When asked about the solutions they would favor, 95% of both groups agreed that parental supervision was the most important step, the magazine said. But “strong majorities” also supported the installation of a V-chip on TV sets to allow parents to block out shows to which they object.

Cowles/SIMBA Media Daily 4/8/96

Copyright 1996 Cowles Business Media. All rights reserved.

http://www.mediacentral.com/Magazines/MediaDaily/OldArchives/199604/1996040810.html