Chapter 5 Different values in different shows? Identifying values
5.2 Findings
6.2.6 Viewership and perceptions of realities
Hypothesis 3.4: Heavy viewers/ long-term viewers are more likely to believe what they saw on American TV series are real and less likely satisfied with Chinese reality than light viewers/ short- term viewers do.
The survey findings did indicate that viewership is a predictor of cultural values and realities. The relationship between viewing American TV series and Chinese audiences’ perceptions of American reality was discussed in section 6.2.3.1 and section 6.2.4.1. The more American TV series that Chinese audiences watch, the more they will accept televised American reality and values. These findings support the hypothesis 3.4 that Chinese heavy viewers of American TV series/ long-term
viewers of American TV series are more likely to believe what they saw on American TV series are real compare to light viewers and short-term viewers do. However, the adjustment of cultural values cannot be separated from the reality and original culture embedded in the audience. The cultural changes caused by globalization are happening in countries where the local culture is being altered by global culture; the inhabitants, it is assumed, feel less connection with their own culture, so they adopt global culture as their new culture (Berry, 1997). Previous studies have found evidence that watching American television has impacts on audiences’ perceptions of their own reality (Carlson, 1993; Oliver et al., 2008). This study found signs of change in Chinese audiences’ cultural values by watching American TV series, but whether this impact could go deeper to weaken the connection between Chinese audiences and their perceptions of Chinese reality is less clear. To reveal the relationship between viewership and perceptions of Chinese reality, we need to compare differences in satisfaction with Chinese reality between the viewers and non-viewers of American TV series.
Table 6.17 Mean values of viewers’ satisfaction regarding the Chinese reality
Watch American series or not N Mean SD Satisfied with economy Yes No 2509 506 3.43 3.33 0.827 0.905 Satisfied with society Yes No 2509 506 3.37 3.27 0.793 0.862 Satisfied with culture Yes No 2509 506 3.29 3.22 0.870 0.920 Proud of being a Chinese Yes No 2509 506 3.83 3.79 0.866 0.962
The mean scores of Chinese viewers of American TV series versus non-viewers are shown in Table 6.17. People who do watch American TV series (N=2,509) are more satisfied with aspects of the Chinese reality such as the economy M=3.43 (SD= .827), society M=3.37 (SD= .793), culture M=3.29 (SD= .870), and being a Chinese person M=3.83 (SD= .866), compared to people who do not watch American TV series (N=506) concerning their level of satisfaction regarding the economy M=3.33 (SD= .905), society M=3.27 (SD= .862), culture M=3.22 (SD= .920), and being a Chinese person M=3.79 (SD= .962). This shows that the Chinese audience who watch American TV series are more satisfied with the Chinese reality than non-viewers. Moreover, the mean value of satisfaction regarding the Chinese culture was lower compared to other variables.
To test whether the people who watch American TV series and people who do not were associated with statistically significantly differences in their satisfaction regarding the Chinese reality, an independent samples t-test was performed. The distributions of people who watch American TV series and those who do not were sufficiently normal for the purposes of conducting a t-test, i.e., skew ＜｜2.0｜and kurtosis＜｜9.0｜(Schmider et al., 2010). Additionally, the assumption of homogeneity of variances was tested and satisfied via Levene’s F test. The independent samples t- test was associated with a statistically significant effect regarding satisfaction with the Chinese economy t (685.335) = 2.382, p=.017 and satisfaction with society t (3013) = 2.496, p=.013. However, there was no significant effect regarding satisfaction with culture t (3013) = 1.691, p=.091 and being a Chinese person t (679.936) = .947, p= .344. Thus, the Chinese people who watch American TV series were statistically significantly more satisfied with the Chinese economy and society than Chinese people who do not watch American TV series, but there was no statistically significant difference regarding satisfaction with Chinese culture and with being a Chinese person. Cohen's d was estimated at .12 for satisfaction with the economy, and .12 for satisfaction with society, which is a small or moderate effect based on Cohen (1992)’s guidelines.
To study the relationship between viewership and perceptions of Chinese reality, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Regressions were performed for the total sample of American TV series viewer (N=2,509), males (n=759), and females (n=1,750) on each of satisfaction criterion of Chinese reality (i.e., economy, society, culture, proud of being a Chinese person). To answer this research question, demographic variables were entered in the first stage, followed by separate total time and length of viewing measures. The results of the analyses involving all the respondents are presented in Table 6.18.
Table 6.18 Relationships between viewing American TV series and being satisfied with Chinese reality for total sample (n=2,509)
Economya R2 change β sr2 Societyb R2 change β sr2 1.Demographics Age Gender Education Wealth Visited US or not .070※※ -.030 -.036 .070※※ .231※※ .090※※ .001 .001 .004 .052 .008 1.Demographics Age Gender Education Wealth Visited US or not .048※※ -.049※ -.031 .085※※ .173※※ .092※※ .002 .001 .007 .029 .008 2.Total Viewing Viewing time .002
.015 .000 2.Total Viewing Viewing time
.001
Viewing length .037 .001 Viewing length -.011 .000 Culturec R2 change β sr2 Being a Chinesed R2 change β sr2 1.Demographics Age Gender Education Wealth Visited US or not .025※※ .001 -.019 .047※ .140※※ .073※※ .000 .000 .002 .019 .005 1.Demographics Age Gender Education Wealth Visited US or not .059※※ -.070※※ .038 .103※※ .151※※ .125※※ .000 .005 .000 .001 .001 2.Total Viewing Viewing time Viewing length .004※ .031 -.063※※ .001 .003 2.Total Viewing Viewing time Viewing length .000 -.014 .009 .026 .004 a Overall R2=.072, F(2, 2501)=2.430, p=.088. b Overall R2=.049, F(2, 2501)=1.058, p=.347. c Overall R 2=.028, F(2, 2501)=4.540, p=.011. d Overall R2=.059, F(2, 2501)=.265, p=.768. ※ p＜.05. ※※ p＜.01.
Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to test whether viewing American TV series significantly predicted participants’ perceptions of Chinese reality. The results of the regression analyses indicate that viewing American TV series explained 0.4 percent of the variances (R2= .028, F (7, 2501) =10.420, p<.001). Regarding the predicted satisfaction with Chinese culture,
it was found that the viewing length did significantly predict the viewers’ level of satisfaction regarding Chinese culture (β= -.063, p=.003). Tests to see if the data met the assumption of collinearity indicated that multicollinearity was not a concern (total viewing time, Tolerance = .99, VIF = 1.01; viewing length, Tolerance = .92, VIF = 1.08).
The set of demographic variables did predict significant variables in respondents’ satisfactions with Chinese reality. Age predicted the viewers’ satisfaction with society and with being a Chinese person, with younger people being more satisfied with Chinese society and being a Chinese person compared to older people. Gender did not predict significant variables regarding satisfaction with Chinese reality, with no significant differences between women and men regarding these variables. Education did predict satisfaction with the economy, society, culture, and being a Chinese person, with people who have higher levels of education being more satisfied with the economy, society, culture, and being a Chinese person compared with people with lower levels of education. Wealth predicted satisfaction with the economy, society, culture, and being a Chinese person, as people with higher incomes were more satisfied with the Chinese reality compared with people with lower incomes. The category of Chinese viewers of American TV series who have visited America also predicted satisfaction regarding the Chinese economy, society, culture, and being a Chinese person, with Chinese people who have not visited the US are more satisfied with Chinese reality more than people who have visited America.
Controlling for the effect of demographic variables, the total time of viewing American TV series did not significantly predict satisfaction with Chinese reality, as there are no significant difference in satisfaction with the Chinese reality between Chinese heavy viewers and Chinese light viewers. However, viewing length did predict satisfaction regarding culture, with long-term viewers less satisfied with Chinese culture than short-term viewers.
Above all, there is no strong evidence to show that American TV series could weaken the tie between Chinese audiences and their perception of Chinese reality. The findings rejected hypothesis 3.4 that Chinese heavy viewers of American TV series/ long-term viewers of American TV series are less likely to satisfy with Chinese reality than light viewers/ short-term viewers do, in favor of the alternative hypothesis that heavy viewers/ long-term viewers are not less likely to satisfy with Chinese reality than light viewers/ short-term viewers do. Chinese audience who watch American TV series tend to be more satisfied with the economy and society of China than audience who do not watch American TV series. Although they are more satisfied with the Chinese economy and society, it may be because they are wealthier (among other factors), and may not indicate that viewing American TV series was the only factor that impacted their satisfaction as the independent samples t-test unable to control the effect of demographic variables. For Chinese audience of American TV series, it turns out that long-term viewers tend to be less satisfied with Chinese culture than short-term viewers, but there are no differences between long-term and short-term viewers regarding their satisfaction with the Chinese economy, society and being a Chinese person. This means the impact of viewing American TV series on the perceptions of Chinese reality may limited to culture.
6.3 Conclusion
The findings show some elements of societal firewalls, as Chinese viewers tend to be concentrated along the coast and in the bigger cities. These cities have a relatively higher Internet penetration rate. The audiences in these cities have more freedom to access American TV series compared to people in other cities. Much of the population of China in rural areas and smaller cities does not watch American TV series. The findings also show some elements of individual firewalls, as the majority of Chinese audiences who watch American TV series are of a relatively higher education level, which reduced the obstacles to understanding American culture. In addition, the findings show that Chinese audiences of American TV series are mainly in the age group of 18-30 years old, which is the age of exploring cultural values and identity. Under these circumstances, Chinese audiences of
American TV series are more likely to form their cultural values with references of American culture.
The findings show that even those Chinese viewers who do watch American TV series are not giving up their support for Chinese values but are often adopting a more hybrid set of values. The survey findings show that online viewership of American television series could predict perceptions of American values after demographical variables were controlled, which indicates that watching American television series has a cultivation effect on Chinese audiences’ perceptions of American values. Viewership predicts perception of American values; heavy viewers and long-term viewers are more favourable towards American values than light viewers and short-term viewers. Specifically, heavy viewers seems more favourable towards American values (sexual liberation, modernity, individualism, leisure, and adventurousness). The length of viewing also has an impact as long-term viewers favour American values (sexual liberation, modernity, competition, individualism, leisure, and adventurousness) more than short-term viewers.
However, this effect has a significantly opposite impact regarding Chinese values. Total exposure time did not predict perceptions of overall Chinese value. Only the length of viewing predicted perception of overall Chinese value, with long-term viewers tending to be less supportive of Chinese overall value than short-term viewers. More specifically, heavy viewers are less favourable toward the Chinese value of sexual conservatism than light viewers. Long-term viewers are less favourable towards the Chinese value of sexual conservatism, relationship by status, respect for tradition, and non-competitiveness than short-term viewers. But the length of viewing American TV series did predict one Chinese value, family orientation, with long-term viewers more supportive of family orientation than short-term viewers. Therefore, American values and Chinese values integrated with each other within Chinese audiences’ value systems. This impact of American TV series on Chinese audiences could fit into Berry (1997)’s pattern of acculturation as integration, or what others call hybridity, referring to the Chinese value system being combined with American values by watching American series.
The researcher of this study proposes that viewership is not the only indicator concerning the impact of American TV series on Chinese audiences’ values in the online media era. Gratifications could alter the direction of the impact of American TV series by revising the Chinese audiences’ perceptions of American reality. As indicated in the findings, people who watch American TV series for the gratifications of entertainment and to learn take what they see on American TV series more seriously than people desiring the gratifications of sociability and escape. Therefore, this also shows
in the prediction of values, as entertainment and learning have stronger predictive power regarding Chinese viewers’ attitudes to American values than sociability and escape; this means that Chinese viewers seeking the gratifications of entertainment and learning are more likely to embrace American values than people seeking gratifications of sociability and escape. On the contrary, Chinese viewers seeking the gratifications of sociability and escape are more likely to embrace Chinese values.
But at the same time, an audience may not view American TV series for only a single gratification; the audience my desire multiple gratifications. The impact of gratifications on the audiences’ values is more like a combined effect of the gratifications. Chinese audiences are not passively accepting what they see on American TV series, as cultivation theorists have proposed. The impact of cultivation may not purely be defined by the amount of time audiences spend viewing television content online, but may also be influenced by the audiences’ seeking multiple gratifications.
Moreover, the findings show that the viewing length significantly predicts Chinese viewers’ satisfaction regarding their own culture, with the long-term viewers being less satisfied with Chinese culture compared to short-term viewers. Also, viewership failed to predict the viewers’ satisfaction regarding the Chinese economy, society, and self-esteem. This means that viewing American TV series may only impact the Chinese viewers’ perception of their own culture rather than other areas, which supports Buckley (2015)’s observation that Chinese embrace America’s culture but not its policies.
This chapter has examined the relationship between viewership and the viewers’ perceptions of cultural values and also considered the potential influence of different gratifications. While this chapter has dealt with methodological concerns over predispositions (and other factors besides TV viewing influencing results) through controlling various demographic factors, additional investigation using an additional research method could shed more light on this matter. To this end, the following chapter explains the findings from an experiment that was conducted to investigate the relationship between watching American TV series and perceptions of cultural values.