Television viewing and perceptions of traditional Chinese values among Chinese college students

Abstract

This study examined television's cultivation effects on perceptions of traditional Chinese values (Le., values of interpersonal harmony and hierarchical relations) among a group of Chinese college students (N = 412). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that total viewing of imported programs negatively predicted viewers' endorsement of inter- personal harmony values. Chinese music performance programming, Chinese children's education programs, imported movies, and imported sports were negative predictors of interpersonal harmony value endorsement, whereas viewing Chinese sports was a positive predictor of hierarchical relations. The findings are discussed in the context of cultivation theory and the changing socio-economic, political, and media context in China.