roundtable: CME Poll:Public Backs Reqs for Edu. Kids Shows

roundtable: CME Poll:Public Backs Reqs for Edu. Kids Shows

CME Poll:Public Backs Reqs for Edu. Kids Shows

Anthony E. Wright (aewright@cme.org)
Thu, 5 Oct 1995 18:22:24 -0400 

Message-Id: <v02120d05ac99fbe7b0a3@[205.197.91.5]>
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 18:22:24 -0400
To: roundtable@cni.org
From: aewright@cme.org (Anthony E. Wright)
Subject: CME Poll:Public Backs Reqs for Edu. Kids Shows


10/5/95: A new poll commissioned by the Center for Media Education
(CME) finds broad public support for requiring commercial television
broadcasters to air more educational programming for children.

CME and a large coalition of education, health, parent, and child advocacy
organizations support such a requirement, one being considered by the FCC
in a review of the Children's Television Act of 1990. For more information
on these efforts (and how you can help), send E-mail to KIDSTV@CME.ORG.

The press release and the summary of findings from the poll follow.
Please re-distribute where appropiate.

----

Center for Media Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 5, 1995 (12 Noon)


IN NEW POLL, PUBLIC BACKS MORE EDUCATIONAL TV FOR KIDS
******************************************************
60% Would Require One Hour or More Daily
On Commercial Broadcast Outlets


Washington, D.C. October 5, 1995.-- Americans are dissatisfied with
the quality of programming for children on commercial over-the-air
television, and they support a requirement that broadcasters air
one hour or two hours of educational fare each day, according to
a new poll released today by the Center for Media Education (CME).


Among the poll's major findings are:

* More than four in five American adults (82%) believe there is
  not enough educational children's programming on commercial
  broadcast television.

* Three in five adults surveyed (60%) support specific requirements
  that broadcasters air an hour of educational programming --
  or more -- for children each day.  More than a third of all
  parents (35%) would require two hours daily.

* Eighty percent of Americans believe there are good reasons to
  regulate children's TV more strictly than programming intended
  for general or adult audiences.

* The two most frequently cited reasons for the lack of quality
  in children's broadcast programming are violence (43%) and
  insufficient educational programming (25%).


"It's clear from this survey that there is strong  public support
for regulatory policies to ensure that broadcasters serve the needs
of America's children," said Kathryn Montgomery, Ph.D., President
of the nonprofit research and advocacy group.


The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently considering
proposed rules designed to more effectively implement the
Children's Television Act of 1990 (CTA).  The CTA requires broadcasters
to air some specifically-designed educational and informational
programs for children as a condition of license renewal.  The FCC's
rulemaking is in response to widespread complaints from the education,
health, and child advocacy community that broadcasters are failing
to comply with the CTA's mandate.  For example, some broadcasters
have claimed that such shows as "The Jetsons" and "GI Joe" are
educational.  In addition, too often educational shows have been
shunted to pre-dawn hours when most children are asleep.


"The findings of this poll should send a strong message to the FCC
that the public expects decisive action from the Commission to ensure
that more educational programs are available to children,"
Dr. Montgomery said.  "Americans want more alternatives to the violent
and merchandise-driven programs that dominate the children's TV schedule.
And they support specific daily programming requirements for
broadcasters."

The survey, which was conducted in late August 1995, was designed
and analyzed by Mark Cooper, Ph.D., of Citizens Research.
The questions were asked of  514 men and 513 women in a random
digit dial national sample.


----



PUBLIC ATTITUDES ABOUT CHILDREN'S TELEVISION
********************************************
Summary of Survey Results


The following are major findings of public attitudes about children's
programming on commercial broadcast television.  They are based on a
national survey of 514 men and 513 women conducted in late August 1995.


* An overwhelming majority of the public wants more educational programs
for children on commercial television.

  More than four in five American adults (82%) believe there is not enough
  educational children's programming on commercial broadcast television.
  Among those with children the percentage rises to nearly nine of ten (88%).


* More than three-quarters of Americans believe there are good reasons to
regulate children's TV more strictly than programming intended for
general or adult audiences.

  Eighty percent of respondents in the survey believe there are good
  reasons to regulate children's television.  The public believes more
  regulation is in order because: (1) children watch so much TV;
  (2) television has such a strong impact on children and;
  (3) TV reaches so many children.


* Most people support specific requirements for broadcasters of one hour
or more per day of educational programming for children; a substantial
number believe there should be a requirement for two hours a day.

  When respondents were asked how much children's educational programming
  broadcasters should be required to air, the single most frequent answer
  was two hours a day (31%), with the second most frequent answer being
  one hour a day (29%), yielding a total of 60% supporting one hour a day
  or more.  Among respondents with children, the totals of those calling
  for one hour a day or more were even higher (64%), with more than a
  third (35%) believing the requirement should be two hours a day.


* One of the reasons that people support regulation of children's
programming is that they believe it has a negative impact.

  When asked about the nature of TV's influence on children (that is,
  whether it is positive, negative or neutral), and the power of that
  influence (very strong, somewhat strong and so forth), overall, the
  negatives exceeded the positives by two-to-one.  Forty-five percent of
  respondents believe that children's programs on commercial broadcast
  television are having a negative influence, with ten percent saying
  the influence is "very negative."  Only 23% of the sample believe that
  children's programming is having a positive influence on children's
  lives, with just six percent saying the impact is very positive.


* The majority of people believe that the quality of children's
programming is not getting better; more than a third believe it
is getting worse.

  Less than a quarter of the respondents (23%) say that children's
  television is "good" or "excellent," with only a tiny fraction of the
  respondents (2%) saying the programming is excellent.  More people
  say the quality of children's programming is "poor" (20%) or
  "very poor" (8%) than the percentage that say it is good or excellent.
  The two most frequently cited reasons for the lack of quality in
  children's broadcast programming were violence (43%) and insufficient
  educational programming (25%).

  Only one in eight respondents (12%) believes that the quality of
  commercial children's TV is getting better, while more than
  three in eight (38%) say it is getting worse and 41% say it is
  staying the same.  In addition, very few respondents who ranked
  the current quality of programming as fair or worse expect
  improvement.  Nearly two-thirds of the sample (63%) say programming
  is only fair or worse and not improving.


* Most people blame the networks and advertisers for the lack of
quality in children's television.

  Respondents were far more likely to assign responsibility to the
  television networks and advertisers than to the viewing public.
  Over two-thirds of the sample identified the networks (41%) or
  advertisers (27%), while only 16%  held viewers themselves
  responsible for the lack of quality in children's television.
  Among those with children, over three-quarters gave these responses,
  with networks being held responsible by almost one-half (48%).



The survey was designed and analyzed by Mark Cooper , Ph.D.,
of Citizens Research.  The questions were part of a national random
digit dial computer assisted survey conducted August  24-27, 1995.
The questions were developed by relying on questions which had been
asked by major survey organizations in previous national opinion surveys.
 The wording made it clear that all references were to commercial
broadcasting outlets, and not cable TV or PBS.  Along with standard
demographic questions such as income and education level, respondents
were asked if they have at least one child under the age of 18.
The survey results have a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.


--
Anthony E. Wright                       aewright@cme.org
Coordinator, Future of Media Project    Center for Media Education

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