Cultivation revisited: Some genres have some effects on some viewers

Abstract

This study aims to explore the effects of TV viewing on the cultivation of fear and interpersonal trust among Israeli youth, and to make methodological and theoretical contributions to the study of cultivation. Besides testing cultivation theory using an Israeli sample, the present study focuses on the effects of different genres on attitudes in different sub‐populations. Results show that for each demographic group, moderate but significant cultivation effects were associated with the genres favored by that group. Examples of high‐risk as well as low‐risk viewers are identified and discussed.