Media views differ among ages

Younger and older generations perceive sex and violence in the media differently, according to a study conducted by a collaboration of political science professors at universities including IU.\nEdward Carmines, the Warner O. Chapman professor of political science at Indiana University, along with colleagues from the University of California at Berkeley, conducted a research project funded by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trust. \n"We have been trying to find a vehicle to study the political opinions and civic engagement of adults, as well as young adults," Carmines said. "We wanted to see if their opinions on different kinds of political and social topics were similar or different."\nThe telephone survey of approximately 1,250 people ages 15 to 92 revealed that views on sex and violence on television constituted the largest difference between older and younger generations. \n"What we found was that teenagers and college-aged students are much less likely to think sex is a serious problem than older adults, who tend to think it's a very serious problem," Carmines said.\nThe study, prepared by the Public Agendas and Citizen Engagement Survey, also compared the views of younger and older respondents on issues such as abortion, religion, capital punishment, gun control and job discrimination.\nThe amount of sexual content on television was seen as a serious problem for 67 percent of adults interviewed in the 27 to 59 age range, but for those 15 to 26, 47 percent thought it was a serious problem.\nThere were similar findings in regard to violence on television. According to the survey, teenagers and adults were not bothered by the amount of violence in mass media on television and video, but older adults tend to think of it as a larger issue.\nWhile 74 percent of the older adults thought violence was a serious problem, only 45 percent in the younger age category agreed.\n"I am not surprised at the results," said Gender Studies visiting lecturer Julie Thomas. "I think that if you look at the younger generation that he looked at and see what they have grown up in terms of what is on television and what has been out there entertainment wise, the access is greater and there is more to see. Boundaries are continually being pushed."\nThomas used magazines to prove her point.\n"Things that were considered hardcore porn in the 1960s are different than they are today," she said. "If you were to look at a Playboy magazine back then, it looks like what one would see in a Cosmo or Details magazine today. So our standards in the mass media have changed a lot not only in the terms of violence, but also in sexuality."\nCarmines agreed. He said violence and sex in the media poses a "serious problem."\n"I think it (sexual and violent content) becomes a natural part of our lives, and we don't always see it for the potential serious problem that it is," Carmines said. "I am concerned when people just treat it as if it is just a regular part of life and if it is not anything to call attention to."\nT. Makana Chock, visiting lecturer in Telecommunications, said there is a term for disregarding content is "desensitization." She said people often desensitize sexual and violent content, regarding it as less or insensitive. \nChock used the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as an example of how desensitizing something is comparable to a person putting a recurring action into their subconscious mind.\n"As adults and children, the first time you saw the plane hit the building, it was just gut wrenching -- your heart froze," Chock said. "But after you saw it 32 times in the first 25 minutes, you've stopped reacting to it…You were then desensitized."\nCarmines said he wonders whether or not teenagers will become more concerned with these topics in time, or perhaps that they grew up and were socialized in an era when sex and violence were not worthy of concern. \n"Now that we have found the gap, we are looking to get more information about what teenagers, young adult and older adult attitudes are toward the media," Carmines said.\nHe suggested that "liberal views" may be carried well into adulthood and future studies will determine whether trends and the so called "generation gap" on certain issues will continue.