The amount of television entertainment involving sex and violence dropped between 1999 and 2001, a new study has found.
The study by the Washington-based Center for Media and Public Affairs found that the amount of sex decreased by 29 percent and the amount of serious violence fell by 17 percent.
The media research think tank, in a study released March 21, found that much of the decline occurred on the four major broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.
Overall, the amount of sex on broadcast and cable television decreased from 17 scenes per hour in the 1998-99 season to 12 scenes per hour in 2000-01.
Drop in violence
Researchers also found a substantial drop in serious violence. In prime-time television series across the board in 2000-2001, there was an average of 15 violent scenes per hour, a 17 percent decline from the average of 18 scenes per hour in the 1998-99 season. The executive summary for the study concluded that “popular culture is not necessarily on a permanent and steeply downward slide. …Rather than continuing to subscribe to the philosophy that ‘nothing succeeds like excess,’ Hollywood is providing viewers with less extreme programming that appeals to wider audiences.”
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