Content area
Abstract
Cultivation theory suggests that some television viewers come to believe that what they see on television is an accurate depiction of real life. These beliefs could lead them to form attitudes about gays and gay marriage based on how they are depicted on television. This study explores whether the way in which gays and same-sex relationships are depicted on television has a relationship with viewers' attitudes toward gays and gay marriage. A content analysis of 98 primetime entertainment programs on network and cable television examined what types of gay relationships are being presented and whether characters offered opinions on gays and gay marriage. An Internet survey based on cultivation theory then looked for relationships between television viewing and attitudes toward gays and gay marriage.
The content analysis showed that gay characters made up 7.5% of all the characters studied. Characters made more negative than positive statements toward gay men and lesbians on television, and gay marriage was mentioned infrequently. Cable television programs depicted a great deal more romantically involved and sexually active gay characters than did network programs. Gay characters also were more positive than negative about sex and romantic relationships across all the channels, and almost 50% of gay characters were in some kind of romantic or sexual relationship.
In the end, the findings of this research did not support cultivation theory. However, many of the mean attitudes examined in the survey differed as they were predicted to differ, even if they were not statistically significant. For example, heavy television viewers were less positive toward gays and gay marriage than light viewers, and heavy cable viewers were more positive toward gays and gay marriage than heavy network viewers. This study also was among the first to identify the demographic attributes that go into forming attitudes toward gay marriage: attitude toward gays, political ideology, attitude toward gender roles and sexuality, authoritarianism, age, number of gay friends and family, importance of religion in a person's life, and whether a person was a Christian.
