Poll Shows Americans Favor V-Chip Technology

Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of the V-chip and other government regulation of entertainment, according to a recent poll by The Hollywood Reporter and Robinson Lake Sawyer Miller.

The House of Representatives’ support of the V-chip technology, which will block out violent programs from viewers’ TV sets, is no surprise in light of the results of the poll of 1,010 adults conducted from July 27 through Aug. 1 by KRC Research & Consulting, the polling unit for Robinson Lake Sawyer Miller.

Eighty-two percent of those polled favored the use of technology to block out violent or sexually explicitly programs from TV sets. Only 15 percent were opposed.

When asked if they would use the V-chip if it were built into their sets, 72 percent of the respondents said yes and 24 percent said no. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

The amendment that included the V-chip was in the telecommunications bill that was approved Friday by the House 224-199.

In general, the adults surveyed by KRC support the government’s involvement in monitoring or censoring entertainment products. Forty-nine percent supported some kind of government involvement, while 27 percent were opposed.

The survey also offered support for Time Warner’s proposal to restrict voluntarily the sale of music with violent or sexually explicit lyrics to people over the age of 17, in response to concern by conservative political groups over the content of lyrics in gangsta rap recordings.

Eighty-one percent of those surveyed supported the restriction, compared to 16 percent who were opposed.

The adults surveyed also supported the notion that violence in the media and music is a contributing factor to crime in America. Forty-eight percent said violence depicted in entertainment contributed a lot to crime, while 30 percent said it contributed somewhat. Only 5 percent said it didn’t contribute at all. Support of the statement was greater among older respondents.

Support for the V-chip was strongest among adults aged 30-39, a group most likely to have young children in the home. Eighty-five percent of the group said they favored the technology and 83 percent said they would use it. Support was less overwhelming among older respondents.

But in general, strong support for the V-chip ran across every demographic, region, age group and political philosophy of those polled.