The Times Poll : Public Opposes Censoring Programs for Television

Despite the widespread belief that violence and sex on television are corrupting the nation, most Americans oppose any government efforts to regulate programming, according to The Times Poll.

Instead, they overwhelmingly believe that people should be allowed to make their own TV viewing choices--except for children. Even so, one-quarter of all parents say they are not imposing any restrictions in their own homes.

At the same time, the poll found the public of two minds about private efforts to force changes in programming. On the one hand, they are evenly divided in their support for boycotting advertisers to impose standards. But they resent efforts by social action and religious groups to make programming decisions for them.

The poll, which surveyed a cross section of adults nationwide from Sept. 14-19, found that nearly two-thirds of Americans think violence on television encourages crime and that more than half believe programs depicting nudity and sex encourage immorality in society.

“There’s a strong conviction that TV is contributing to the moral decline of our country,” said I. A. Lewis, director of The Times Poll.

But a solid majority say banning or censoring programming is not the answer. They would prefer to see controversial programming segregated in some way--scheduled at a later hour, placed on a separate channel or given a rating code similar to the system used by the film industry.

The poll findings come amid a surge in government and private efforts aimed at restricting controversial television programs.

The House and Senate have passed legislation granting the entertainment industry a three-year exemption from the Sherman Antitrust Act. The exemption is designed to allow the networks, cable companies and production companies to collectively develop more restrictive programming guidelines on depictions of violence, sex and drug use. The bills are now in conference committee.

Executives from ABC, CBS and NBC have said they believe their own program standards are sufficient guards against programming excess and do not see the antitrust exemption as necessary. Some network officials have said privately they feel the government is pressuring them to adopt “voluntary” restrictions.

Social action and religious groups also have received national attention for their efforts to ban programs they find objectionable. The Rev. Donald E. Wildmon of Tupelo, Miss., has attempted to banish programs by threatening advertisers with boycotts. And Detroit viewer Terry Rakolta conducted a highly publicized campaign to stop advertisers from sponsoring Fox Broadcasting’s popular show “Married . . . With Children.”

The Times Poll found that 54% of Americans disapprove of social action groups that attempt to stop programs by pressuring advertisers. But the public is split evenly--with 47% disapproving and 45% approving--on advertiser boycotts in general.

The seemingly contradictory responses may indicate that the public wants to make its own choices.

When asked who they thought should have the most say about whether sex and violence should appear on television, 77% cited the “individual viewer.” Networks and TV stations were cited by 21%, advertisers by 16% and the government by 15%. Only 7% cited social action and religious groups. (The numbers add up to more than 100% because respondents were allowed to give two answers.)

Basic Philosophy

“People do not see (programming that depicts violence and sex) as so affecting their lives that they’re willing to give up their freedom for it,” said Dr. Neil Malamuth, chairman of the Communications Department at UCLA and a professor in the psychology department. “It’s a basic philosophy of American culture that we want independence and freedom.”

Malamuth, who has conducted studies regarding sex and violence on television, said that although people generally sense that large doses of sex and violence in entertainment are having some effect on society, they’re not sure what it is.

“We can go to a film that’s very violent and we don’t walk out of the theater and see people beating each other,” he said. “It’s cumulative. There’s no way the individual can see it.”

The Times Poll, which surveyed 2,217 adults, has a sampling error of 3 percentage points in either direction. That means that if every adult in the country were polled in the same way, the totals would be no more than 3 percentage points higher or lower than those found in the Times survey.

The results of the poll show Americans believe that objectionable programming and deteriorating morality are feeding off each other.

Reasons for Increase

A whopping 87% of the public believe that there is more sex and violence in entertainment today than there was 10 years ago. Moral decline and changes in audience tastes were cited as the top reasons for the increase.

Half Blame Audience

Nearly half of those polled believe that the audience is primarily to blame for objectionable programming because it creates the demand. Those responses, coupled with the fact that most people believe sex and violence on TV encourage violence and immorality in real life, indicate a feeling that the morality of the country is locked in a downward spiral.

The poll seems to show a contradiction in beliefs about the effects of violence and sex on TV. Although a majority of the nation’s adults believe that watching such programming on television affects people in general, almost no one believes it affects them in particular.

“It’s a very common phenomenon,” UCLA’s Malamuth said. “It’s called ‘the other person effect.’ ” He said there is a “general belief that other people are more susceptible to negative influences.”

Despite concern from most Americans about the effects of airing some subjects, TV programs are not viewed as a primary source of the nation’s ills. A majority of Americans, 53%, believe that drugs are the chief cause of crime in America. Lax punishment of criminals ranks second, followed by declining moral values.

Only 9% point to TV as the No. 1 cause of crime. In addition, 20% believe that many of the nation’s crime problems would be solved if people just stopped watching television.

Object to Violence

Violence in programming is far and away the most objectionable to Americans, with 26% citing it as their top concern, ahead of drugs, bad language and sexual material. Twelve percent said they were not bothered by any type of programming.

Nearly two-thirds of the nation’s adults believe that violence is portrayed in the various entertainment media as commonplace and acceptable.

When asked which entertainment form “deals” with sex the most, 43% listed cable TV, 36% movies and 31% videotapes. The media that deal with violence the most, according to the respondents, were movies, cited by 42%, TV networks, 39%, and cable TV, 34%. Cable TV and movies ranked first in dealing with bad language (46% and 42%, respectively), followed by videotapes, (30%).

The TV networks were cited as the source that “deals” with drugs the most (39%). Movies and cable TV were cited by 26% and 25%, respectively.

Just under one-third of those questioned said they often watch violence on television while 10% said they often watch programs containing nudity and sex.

Few Take Action

Although Americans clearly believe that there is a problem with some TV subject matter, they are either ignoring the problem or just not watching the programming they find objectionable. Few say they are doing anything concrete to address the problem, despite their concern.

Most people--54%--think that much of what is on television is in bad taste, regardless of whether it contains violence or sex.

A majority, 53%, think children’s access to TV, books and movies should be restricted. Thirty-eight percent do not think that there should be any restrictions and 13% believe that some restrictions should be applied to disturbed people. Five percent thought that everyone should be restricted to some extent.

A majority of Americans believe that some restrictions should be placed on what children read and watch. But one-quarter of all parents with children under 18 say they do not have any rules regulating their children’s TV viewing. Another 24% say they stop their children from watching certain programs, but do not have set rules for viewing.

Others have set up clear household rules, with 17% allowing TV viewing only during certain hours, 12% watching with their children and 11% requiring their children to ask permission to watch. Nine percent limit the amount of time their children may watch.

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents in the poll favor stricter ratings codes for the movies, and 51% favor a ratings system for recorded music. Nearly three out of four people would like to see the creation of a ratings system for television programs.

According to poll director Lewis, the interest in setting up ratings systems for the various media is consistent with other poll conclusions showing that most people prefer to make their own entertainment choices. “It lets you decide for yourself,” Lewis said. “It’s a moderate view.”