Green or brown? Television and the cultivation of environmental concern

Abstract

This study examines relationships between television viewing and environmental concern. Using data from the 1993 and 1994 General Social Survey, we examine the associations between exposure to television's messages and respondents’ willingness to make sacrifices for the environment, perceptions of threat from pollution, and perceptions of the impact of science and technology on the environment. The results show that television viewing is associated with a general apprehension about the state of the environment, but is not consistently related to viewers’ perception of threats from specific sources. Heavy television viewers are generally less willing to make sacrifices for environmental reasons. Subgroup and mainstreaming relationships are explored.