Summary of Recommendations
Report of the University of California, Santa Barbara
The Center for Communication and Social Policy web site
National Television Violence Study
SAGE Publications
Republished with permission
Despite continued public concern, the final report of the three-year National Television Violence Study finds TV violence continues to pose a serious risk of harm to children. The final study also concluded that the proportion of prime-time broadcast and basic cable shows with violence has increased since 1994. The researchers determined that the way TV violence is portrayed encourages children to learn aggressive behavior, among other risks. The study also found that most age-based ratings do not provide information about the presence of violence in programs, affirming the TV industry’s decision to add content descriptors, such as "V" for violence, to the new TV rating system.
The study focused on key features of violent portrayals that either increase or diminish the risk of harmful effects on viewers, especially children. Previous research has established that exposure to TV violence can contribute to aggressive attitudes and behaviors, to desensitization to real-world violence, and to increased fear in viewers. However, said Dr. Ed Donnerstein, study senior researcher and dean of social sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), "the effect of violent content depends on how it is portrayed, and not all violent depictions pose the same degree of risk for viewers."
The study found that most violence is glamorized and sanitized. Across the three years of the study, nearly 40% of the violent incidents on television are initiated by "good" characters who are likely to be perceived as attractive role models. The long-term negative consequences of violence are portrayed in only 15% of programs, when averaged over the three years. "These patterns teach children that violence is desirable, necessary, and painless," said Dr. Dale Kunkel, associate professor of communication at UCSB, and a senior researcher for the study.
Nearly three-quarters of violent scenes contain no remorse, criticism, or penalty for violence, and "bad" characters go unpunished in 40% of programs. Programs that employ a strong anti-violence theme remain extremely rare, averaging 4% of all violent shows. Overall, the percentage of programs on television that contain some violence is virtually unchanged at 61%, compared to 61% last year and 58% in 1994-95.
However, programs containing violent content have become more frequent in prime time, rising by 14% (from 53% to 67%) on the broadcast networks and 10% (from 54% to 64%) on basic cable since 1994. "For those who think the TV violence problem is solved, it is not," said Dr. Daniel Linz, study senior researcher and chair of the law and society program at UCSB. "This increase in prevalence is problematic since the portrayal of most TV violence poses risks, and prime time also attracts the largest number of viewers." During the three-year study period, premium cable networks consistently have contained the highest percentage of programs with violence, averaging 92% since 1994.
Researchers at UCSB examined the largest and most representative sample of television content ever evaluated in a single study. For three years, programs on 23 TV channels were selected over a nine-month period to create a composite week of programming. Since 1994, more than 6,000 hours of programming have been analyzed.
The report highlights portrayals of violence that pose a high risk for children. These portrayals include a cluster of plot elements that increase the risk that children who watch will learn aggressive attitudes and behaviors. A high-risk portrayal includes all of the following elements: (1) a perpetrator who is attractive; (2) violence that seems justified; (3) violence that goes unpunished; (4) minimal consequences to the victim; and (5) violence that seems realistic to the viewer.
The study found that violent incidents that qualify as high risk for children under 7 are found most often in cartoons. "Younger children have difficulty distinguishing televised fantasy from reality, and are therefore at increased risk of imitating cartoon violence," said Dr. Barbara J. Wilson, a study senior researcher and professor of communication at UCSB. The average American preschooler who watches mostly cartoons is exposed to over 500 high-risk portrayals of violence each year.
The study was undertaken at four research universities, each of which conducted independent studies--the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of Texas, Austin; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
View full report (PDF)
