Does Television Viewing Relate to Engagement in Protective Action Against Crime?

As a theory of media effects, cultivation suggests that television viewing influences beliefs and opinions about the real world. As a model of social influence, the theory of reasoned action focuses on predicting behaviors based on salient beliefs and attitudes. This study attempts to elaborate cultivation theory by using a theory of reasoned action perspective to determine if heavy television viewing influences not only beliefs and attitudes about violence in society but also intentions to take and actual engagement in protective action. Findings indicated that amount of television viewing directly influenced prevalence estimates of violence in society as well as intentions to take protective measures and indirectly affected mean world attitude and protection behaviors through its effects on their preceding variables. Implications for conceptualization and measurement of cultivation variables as well as the process through which television impacts behavior are discussed.

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