Determinants of TV Criticism Attitude: The Relationship with Prediction of Influence of TV on Others and Third-person Effect

Abstract

This study defined “TV criticism” as “the viewers' negative reaction to TV programs in general,” and aimed to clarify its determinants. Accordingly, it focused on the influence of Estimate the extent to which other people are influenced by TV and of third-person effect. Hypothesis1: “People who highly estimate the influence of TV on others criticize TV. Hypothesis 2: “People with third-person effect criticize TV”. An online survey was conducted with 520 male and female adults in their 20s to 60s.

First, factor analysis revealed that TV criticism can be categorized into four; 1) criticism toward danger and vulgar depiction; and 2) criticism toward news report; and 3) criticism toward promotion of crime and radical expression; and 4) criticism toward dramas. Furthermore, as result of correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, estimate to others was effective for all TV criticisms. Hypothesis 1 can be supported. Although the effect of third-person effect was observed only in news except for the other three criticisms. As a result, hypothesis 2 can be partly supported. However, in criticism of promotion of crime and radical expression, first-person effect which is the opposite concept to third-person effect was recognized.