Echoing the concerns expressed by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) in his stinging rebuke of Hollywood, a sizable majority of Americans believes there is too much violence and sex in movies, television and popular music.
But they favor stricter industry regulation rather than government censorship of entertainment, a Los Angeles Times Poll has found.
When asked if they agreed with Dole, who recently scolded Hollywood for mass-producing entertainment that he described as "nightmares of depravity," 71% of those polled agreed with the Kansas Republican's stark assessment, while only 23% disagreed.
Indeed, 61% of the 1,109 adults polled nationwide last Friday through Sunday said that the content of American entertainment is getting worse, while 9% viewed it as getting better.
The poll results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
But while Americans are clearly disturbed by the level of sex and violence in the media, they resist having government impose Draconian responses.
Over half of those surveyed believe there is a greater danger to society from the government imposing undue restrictions on entertainment than in any hurtful material produced by the entertainment industry.
Hollywood can also take comfort in the finding that 51% of those polled believe the entertainment industry is within its constitutional right of free speech when presenting material that some view as objectionable or offensive.
Those polled were divided over whether they would ever support an organized boycott of companies that advertise their products on TV shows depicting violence and sex.
While Dole provoked intense protest from the entertainment industry when he slammed some music groups and such films as "Natural Born Killers" and "True Romance" for what he said were their depictions of "mindless violence and loveless sex," he nonetheless tapped into the frustration of many Americans regarding mass culture.
The poll found that this concern is held across the political spectrum--not just with the far right, which Dole has been trying to cultivate since mounting his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
"He clearly tapped into something that concerns many Americans, though his own political gain from it remains questionable," said Times Poll Director John Brennan. "Though 71% agree with his attacks on the industry, only 18% feel more favorable toward him because of those attacks and 12% feel less favorable.
