“Harmonious Middle Kingdom and Dangerous Beautiful Country?” Exploring Cultivation Effects of Domestic and U.S.-Made TV Programs on Chinese College Students

This study examines cultivation effects of Chinese and U.S. TV content on Chinese college students. It surveyed 112 students from a university in Beijing about their weekly viewing hours of Chinese TV, including China Central Television (CCTV), and U.S.-made TV programming. Participants also reported their perceived prevalence of crime in China and the United States and their estimation of helpfulness, trustworthiness, and fairness of Chinese and American people. Findings revealed that American TV content seems to have a much bigger cultivation effect than Chinese TV programming. CCTV viewing was associated with perceptions that people in China are helpful. Viewing of U.S. programming was associated with heightened perceptions of crime in both China and the United States.