Greek Young Audience Perceptions and Beliefs on Different Aspects of TV Watching

Abstract

Television plays a significant role in shaping the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of young individuals. Understanding the factors that influence these beliefs is essential for comprehending the impact of television programming on the youth population. This paper aims to investigate the correlations in beliefs regarding television programming among Greek youths aged 15–18 with their demographic characteristics, parental educational levels, school performance, and daily television viewing habits. To study the above, a structured questionnaire was electronically distributed to 204 Greek teenagers after obtaining parental consent. By identifying the factors associated with variations in beliefs, this study contributes to the existing literature on media influence and youth development. The findings indicate youth’s moderate levels of reflection regarding different aspects of television shows, including their presentation to the public and their influence on perceptions and attitudes. What is more, the youth audience haslow trust in TV news, and they moderately believe that the content of news is greatly influenced by governments and political elite agendas, while they consider TV as a major influential media type in shaping people’s political opinions. Notably, youngsters who considered themselves high-achieving students, as well as those who engaged in more frequent television viewing, including documentaries, news, and talk shows, exhibit increased concern and skepticism regarding the information presented in the television programs they watch. This is an important finding, because despite the low trust in TV as a medium, it continues to attract the attention of young people.

Keywords

• young audiences
• beliefs
• media content
• reflection
• TV watching