The research reported here examines the impact of viewing television crime shows on preadults' attitudes toward civil liberties. The data analyzed were the result of a survey of school children in grades six through twelve. Generally, heavy viewers of crime shows were more likely to have anti-civil libertarian attitudes. This relationship survived controls for seven background variables. Crime show viewing had its greatest impact on the attitudes of subgroups that normally are predisposed to support a civil libertarian viewpoint. These groups included children in the higher grades, children from middle class homes, and children whose parents do not place a great deal of stress on conformity. The results indicate that television entertainment may be an important source of political learning.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ARONS, S.
and KATSH (1977) “How TV cops flout the law.”Saturday Rev. (March): 11-19.
2.
ATKIN, C. K.
and W. GANTZ (1978) “Television news and political socialization.”Public Opinion Q.42: 183-198.
3.
BERMAN, D. R.
and J. A. STOOKEY (1980) “Adolescents, television, and support for government.”Public Opinion Q.44: 330-340.
4.
BLUMLER, J.
and E. KATZ (1973) The Uses of Mass Communications. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
5.
CHAFFEE, S.
, J. McLEOD, and D. WACKMAN (1973) “Family communication patterns and adolescent political participation,” pp. 349-364 in Jack Dennis (ed.) Socialization to Politics. New York: John Wiley.
6.
CHAFFEE, S.
et al. (1977) “Mass communications in political socialization,” pp. 223-258 in S. A. Renshon (ed.) Handbook of Political Socialization. New York: MacMillan.
7.
COMSTOCK, G.
et al. (1978) Television and Human Behavior. New York: Columbia Univ. Press.
8.
CONWAY, M. M.
et al. (1981) “The news media in children's political socialization.”Public Opinion Q.45: 164-178.
9.
DOMINICK, J.
(1974) “Children's viewing of crime shows and attitudes of law enforcement.”Journalism Q.51: 5-12.
10.
DOMINICK, J.
(1973) “Crime and law enforcement on prime time television.”Public Opinion Q. 37: 241-250.
11.
EYNSENCK, H. J.
and D.K.B. NIAS (1978) Sex, Violence, and the Media. New York: Harper & Row.
12.
GALLITIN, J.
and J. ADELSON (1971) “Legal guarantees of individual freedom: a cross national study of the development of political thought.”J. of Social Issues27: 91-117.
13.
GERBNER, G.
et al. (1982) “Charting the mainstream: television's contributions to political orientations.”J. of Communication32: 100-127.
14.
GERBNER, G.
(1980) “The Mainstreaming of America: violence profile no. 11.”J. of Communication30: 10-29.
15.
GERBNER, G.
(1978) “Cultural indicators: violence profile no. 9.”J. of Communication28: 176-207.
16.
GUNTHER, M.
(1971) “You have the right to remain silent.”TV Guide (December): 7-9.
17.
JENNINGS, M. K.
and L. E. FOX (1968) “The conduct of socio-political research in schools: strategies and problems of access.”School Rev.76: 428-444.
18.
JONES, R. S.
(1980) “Democratic values and preadult virtues: tolerance, knowledge, and participation.”Youth and Society12: 189-220.
19.
KIRSCHT, J. P.
and R. C. DILLEHAY (1967) Dimensions of Authoritarianism: A Review of Theory and Research. Lexington, KY: Univ. of Kentucky Press.
20.
KLAPPER, J.
(1960) The Effects of Mass Communications. New York: Macmillan.
21.
KRUGMAN, H. E.
and E. L. HARTLEY (1970) “Passive learning from television.”Public Opinion Q.34: 184-190.
22.
MERELMAN, R.
(1971) Political Socialization and Educational Climates. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
23.
PACKER, H.
(1968) The Limits of Criminal Sanction. Stanford: CA: Stanford Univ. Press.
24.
PATTERSON, T.
(1980) The Mass Media Election. New York: Praeger.
25.
ROBINSON, M.
(1977) “Television and politics, 1956-1976.”Public Interest10: 3-39.
26.
ROBINSON, M.
(1976) “Public affairs television and the growth of political malaise.”Amer. Pol. Sci. Rev.70: 424-439.
27.
TAN, A.
(1979) “TV beauty ads and role expectations of adolescent female viewers.”Journalism Q.56: 283-288.
28.
VOLGY, T. J.
and J. E. SCHWARZ (1980) “TV entertainment programming and sociopolitical attitudes,”Journalism Q.57: 150-155.
29.
WATTS, M. W.
(1977) “Anti-heterodoxy and the punishment of deviance: an explanation of student attitudes toward `law and order',”Western Pol. Q.30: 93-103.
30.
WEIGEL, R. H.
and R. JESSOR (1973) “Television and adolescent conventionality: an exploratory study.”Public Opinion Q.37: 76-90.
31.
ZELLMAN, G. L.
and D. O. SEARS (1971) “Childhood origins of tolerance for dissent.”J. of Social Issues27: 109-139.
