Television Viewing and Ethnic Stereotypes: Do College Students Form Stereotypical Perceptions of Ethnic Groups as a Result of Heavy Television Consumption?

Abstract

This study investigated television viewing patterns of college students and their subsequent perceptions of ethnic minority groups in the United States. A brief version of the Big-Five Personality Traits instrument was used to obtain respondents' opinions of five different ethnic groups. Significant differences in stereotypes held were identified based on the amount of television viewing and amount of exposure to specific television genres. The results suggest that many heavy television viewers hold ethnic stereotypes; they also suggest a need for increased media critique and consumer education.

KEYTERMS:

• college students
• cultivation theory
• ethnicity
• personality traits
• social cognitive theory
• stereotypes
• television viewing

Notes

Note. The question used was as follows: “Please indicate how you would rate the various ethnic groups using the following terms based on a scale of 1 to 7 (e.g., For the first term, 1 = shy and 7 = outgoing).”

Note. Cell entries are mean scores (0–14 scale). The traits featured in the table represent significant differences at the p < .05 level. An asterisk ∗ denotes significance at the p < .01 level. The remaining traits are not included because they were not significantly different.