Survey Probes TV Violence

TV Times magazine has conducted a survey into viewers’ attitudes to the depiction of violence on television, finding that 85% of those questioned believe TV companies do not monitor violence adequately. A further 59% think there is a link between screen and real-life violence.

ITC research conducted last month, however, found that only 11% of ITV and Channel 4 viewers were offended by TV violence.

The surveys also came up with different findings on attitudes to the 9pm watershed. While the ITC report found that 93% of parents (the highest figure recorded) know violence is reserved for after 9pm, 58% of TV Times respondents feel this is not late enough.

The TV Times survey breaks new ground by examining how gender influences attitudes to TV violence – 63% of women think there is too much violence on TV, compared to only 38% of men.

Stuart Prebble, ITV’s controller of network factual programmes, said he believed the level of violence on TV was “about right”.

TV Times: 071 261 7951

ITC: 071 584 7011