The Influence of Television Viewing on Concern about Crime

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

For most citizens, the media is their main source of information on crime. However, the literature has documented the media's tendency to exaggerate the magnitude and severity of crime as a phenomenon. This impression generated, coupled with the population's limited exposure to other, more specialized information sources, helps to explain the major misperceptions of crime held by the public. This work examines the effects of television media consumption on concern about crime, using national random telephone survey data (n=885).

Authors

• Eva Aizpurúa, University of Castilla La Mancha

• Leah Fikre Butler, Florida State University

• Ted Chiricos, Florida State University

• Marc Gertz, Florida State University

• Kelly Welch, Villanova University