Abstract
The study examines whether more television viewing contributes to negative perceptions of young people's behaviour with regard to substance use. This hypothesis is tested among middle-aged and elderly people, for whom television might be the primary source of information about youth. In addition, the study explores whether this relationship may be dependent upon respondents' direct experience and educational level. Correlational analyses and analyses of covariance performed on a sample of 246 people aged over 30 indicate that the relationship between television exposure and drug use estimations is curvilinear. It also showed to be moderated by respondents' educational level but not by their direct experience with adolescents. The interrelated impact of television viewing and education is discussed.
