TV on Decline, but Few Back U.S. Regulation

As the television industry launches its new season, a Los Angeles Times Poll finds that a wide majority of Americans believes that TV sex and violence is getting worse. However, only about one in four favors more government involvement in solving the problem.

About 70% of respondents prefer that the industry do more to police itself--which may have far-reaching implications for the battle over program content ratings among the entertainment industry, media watchdog groups and members of Congress.

After years of debate over television’s ever-loosening standards, the industry reluctantly introduced a rating system in January. Then--under threat of congressional action--it agreed to incorporate more specific guidelines, effective Oct. 1.

Industry officials have questioned whether there is grass-roots support for a ratings system.

According to the poll, the verdict is mixed.

Less than a quarter of respondents know much about the current ratings. Nearly three-quarters have not used them in making viewing decisions--including 61% of parents.

But four out of five people approve of the new parental guidelines, as described by poll interviewers. Even so, nearly two-thirds of them doubt that rating programs will prevent children from seeing inappropriate material.

The national survey of 1,258 adults, conducted Sept. 6-9, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The poll reveals considerable ambivalence in the way people see television content. Roughly equal numbers view the medium favorably and unfavorably.

A solid majority of respondents believe that the industry does not share their values. The percentage who feel that way has increased slightly, from 63% in a 1995 Times poll to 70%.

But more than half the respondents rate the quality of programs available to them as “high,” as did more than half of parents regarding children’s programming. In addition, few of those who say TV sex and violence has increased blame that rise on the industry; more often, they cite a general decline in morality. In fact, 51% say television is unfairly blamed for problems in society beyond its control.

“I don’t think there is hysteria out there to have more government regulation, based on this data,” said Times Poll Director Susan Pinkus.

She likened the overall response to the way people see Congress, viewing the entire body negatively but their own representative favorably. In similar fashion, people feel good about the programs they watch but have relatively low opinions of television as a whole.

Pinkus did note a small shift toward favoring regulation--compared to the June 1995 poll--that could be taken as “a forewarning if the industry doesn’t take action themselves.”

Despite the mixed results, the poll may prove sobering to the television industry. People seem to feel at odds with the industry’s current content standards, which 57% say are not strict enough and only a third say are just right. Almost nine of 10 believe that material produced for television contains more sex and violence than a decade ago, and nearly two-thirds say programming has gotten worse during that time.

“I just think they could leave out a lot of sex, a lot of the cussing, because it doesn’t need to be there,” said Jennie Chilcott, a 34-year-old mother of four in Sterling Heights, Mich., during a follow-up interview. She called the ratings “a good guideline” but doubted their ability to keep children from seeing objectionable shows.

For the most part, people who say sex and violence have become more prevalent on TV accept the idea that society has contributed to the shift in what’s permissible, with half of respondents citing a decline in morality or changing audience tastes. Just 13% blame the producers of popular entertainment, while another 9% point to a lack of parental control.

“I think they know what viewers want to see, [and] there are a lot of viewers out there who like that kind of stuff,” said Elizabeth Eylander, 22, a mother of three in Crown Point, Ind., who added that there is “worse TV now than there has ever been.”

Although audiences may share responsibility for the kind of programs produced, a majority of those polled believe that the industry should resist providing more explicit material, even if there is a market for it.

More than seven in 10 respondents say Hollywood should do more to reduce violence in programming--mirroring the percentage that say television’s approach to sex encourages immorality and that violent programs can at least occasionally cause people to behave violently. Such fears, in fact, have risen sharply compared to a 1989 Times poll in which 58% of those interviewed said TV violence caused aggressive behavior in viewers.

“People have become so callous,” said Patricia Moak, 48, a Seattle elementary school teacher. “I think [the industry] should temper what they do.”

Despite such concerns, the public remains skeptical of government intervention. Nearly half of respondents say undue government restriction of content represents a greater danger than entertainment industry production of material harmful to society. Thirty-six percent see the latter as a greater threat.

Nearly six in 10 say stricter programming standards should be adopted.

Pinkus called government involvement “a red flag,” citing an American predilection against censorship. In interviews, those surveyed generally offered a more basic remedy then government action.

“People will turn the channel if they don’t like it,” Eylander said.

Doubt also exists as to whether adding content ratings will achieve the desired effect. Some of those polled mentioned in follow-up interviews the “forbidden fruit” theory, suggesting that children might be drawn to programs with harsher ratings.

“People are going to do what they’re going to do. As soon as they’re told not to do something, it makes it more desirable,” said Ellen Hart, 44, of Grass Range, Mont. Children, she said, “just have to be raised with certain values.”

And that is where parental responsibility comes into play, said Gene Beasley, 57, who works with disabled children in Piedmont, S.C.: “For a conscientious parent, [the ratings] can be a godsend. For an unconscientious parent, nothing’s going to work, I’m afraid.”

Among respondents who say they are parents with children at home, 12% don’t let their children watch television, while a fifth allow them to view only programs labeled as being suitable for children. Those whose household income is under $20,000 are least likely to restrict children’s viewing habits.

The debate over ratings--designed to help parents decide what is appropriate for their children--has helped bring public sentiment regarding television into focus. Facing bipartisan congressional pressure as well as possible action by the Federal Communications Commission, the industry initially agreed to guidelines modeled after the Motion Picture Assn. of America ratings: TV-G, TV-PG (parental guidance suggested), TV-14 (not recommended for children under 14) and TV-MA (for mature audiences).

The move did not mollify critics, who successfully pressed this year to add the letters S, V, L and D, denoting sex, violence, coarse language or suggestive dialogue.

Although people overwhelmingly approve of providing this additional information, the poll finds they have paid little attention to the current ratings--which appear for 15 seconds at the beginning of each program.

NBC was the only major network to reject the latest agreement, saying the amended system will be too complicated--an assertion with which only 27% of those polled agree. The network has expressed a larger concern that the goal of industry critics is to “dictate programming content,” not aid parents in making informed choices.

The poll finds that certain groups view television less charitably than others. White Christian fundamentalists, for instance, have the lowest opinion, with about three-fifths viewing the medium unfavorably.

Four out of 10 fundamentalists say they have avoided a product to protest a sponsor’s support of a program they deemed objectionable, compared with 28% of respondents overall. Conservative religious groups have complained about the content of popular entertainment, with the Southern Baptist Convention declaring a boycott of the Walt Disney Co. in June for its “gay-friendly policies,” including the coming-out episode of the Disney-owned ABC network’s “Ellen.”

* THE INDUSTRY REACTS: Television business executives deny they are out of step with the public. Calendar

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE TIMES POLL: Overview

Overall impression of television entertainment:

Favorable: 42%

Unfavorable: 45%

Don’t know: 13%

****

Is TV programming getting better or worse or staying about the same . . .

*--*

From what it was Now 10 years ago Better 13% 17% Worse 54% 65% Same 29% 15%

*--*

Source: L.A. Times Poll

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE TIMES POLL: Programming and Values

The American public doesn’t think the standards for TV programming are strict enough, but they are not ready for the government to step in to regulate the industry.

Do the people who work in TV entertainment share your values?

Don’t know: 7%

Same values: 23%

Different values: 70%

****

Agree or disagree: “The entertainment Industry is unfairly blamed for a lot of problems in society which are actually caused by things beyond their control.”

Don’t know: 6%

Agree: 51%

Disagree: 43%

****

What is the greater danger: socially harmful entertainment material or undue government-imposed restrictions on the TV entertainment industry?

Harmful entertainment: 36%

Government restrictions: 48%

Neither / both: 8%

Not strict enough: 8%

****

Are the standards governing what can be shown on TV too strict, just about rightor not strict enough?

Too strict: 5%

About right: 33%

Not strict enough: 57%

Don’t know: 5%

****

Should the federal government be more involved in regulating TV content, or less involved or stay the same as it is now?

More involved: 26%

Same as now: 33%

Less involved: 34%

Don’t know: 7%

****

HOW THE POLL WAS CONDUCTED

The Times Poll contacted 1,258 adults nationwide by telephone Sept. 6-9. Telephone numbers were chosn from a list of all exchanges in the nation. Random-digit-dialing techniques were used so that listed and non-listed numbers could be contacted. The sample was weighted slightly to conform with census figures for sex, race, age, education and region. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3 percentage points; for certain subgroups the error margin may be somewhat higher. Poll results can also be affected by other factors such as question wording and the order in which questions are presented.

Times Poll data are also available on the World Wide Web: http//www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/POLLS/

Source: L.A. Times Poll