Housewives and Daytime Serials in Japan: A Uses and Gratifications Perspective

Abstract

This research attempts to clarify the social end psychological circumstances of housewives which lead to daytime television serial viewing. The utility of one aspect of the uses and gratifications approach presented by Rosengren and Windahl (1972) is tested. A total of 183 housewives in Tokyo were surveyed, and the associations between serial or television viewing and 23 main variables were obtained and analyzed. The results suggest that psychological factors such as dissatisfaction in family relationships and personality variables are more related to serial viewing than social-structural variables such as Interaction Potential. However. contrary to the theoretical expectation. Interaction Potential shows a positive association with television viewing in general. This result is discussed from socioeconomic. cultural. and theoretical viewpoints. Based on the results. some suggestions ere mode for the future development of audience analyses.

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