Entertainment & Politics

Entertainment and Politics investigates the influence of the entertainment media on the socio-political beliefs of young Americans. It is designed for undergraduates, graduate students, professors, and readers interested in the puzzle of how young people acquire and hold political beliefs over time. Using the results of a survey of first-year university students, the research indicates that the popular culture does in fact influence young people’s political beliefs. This influence does not fit into neat 'conservative' and 'liberal' patterns, but instead interacts with parental and peer influence in heretofore unexamined ways. By-and-large, the entertainment media help to reinforce pre-existing values. However, this book takes a close look at many of the ways in which the entertainment media influence young Americans to hold socio-political beliefs that are different from those of their parents, schools, and teachers.