Media Portrayals of Individuals in the Lower Class and
Its Effects on Attributions of Educational Hardships
This study investigated how media portrayals of individuals in the lower class affect
people’s beliefs about educational hardships in lower socioeconomic areas. Specifically, this
study looked at the attributions of these hardships to determine if media consumption had an
effect on the internality of attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption
would be related to an increased tendency toward internal attributions. It was hypothesized that
increased media consumption would lead to lower support for policy changes regarding
education.
Stories and pictures in the mass media form an important basis for creating opinions of ‘the poor’ and welfare recipients. The media content influences who we think these people are, how we think they behave and what we think should be done to either help or punish them. In The Rise and Fall of Social Cohesion, Christian Albrekt Larsen illustrates how the US and UK are caught in a vicious circle. High levels of poverty and a targeted welfare system produce a large volume of newsworthy negative stories, which make further punishment the most likely political response. Who would want to help scroungers and spongers? In contrast, Sweden and Denmark are caught in a virtuous circle. Low levels of poverty and a universal welfare system reduce the amount of newsworthy negative stories and allow room for stories about the deserving poor. Who does not want to help our ordinary fellow citizens in need? Here, he describes his research.
