The Show Goes On

American Demographics, Sept 1, 2002 by John Fetto

Byline: JOHN FETTO

Turn on the television tonight and you'll see few signs that the world of entertainment was hanging by a thread less than a year ago. David Letterman has returned to interviewing cast members from Survivor, contestants on Fear Factor continue to chow down on bugs and the cast of Friends is still sipping their coffee from big mugs. But on closer examination, you'll see that what Americans want from entertainment has subtly shifted. Today, a year after the terror attacks, Americans are more attracted to TV shows and movies with spiritual themes and plot lines that address family values. We tune in more often to the nightly news and to newsmagazines. And many of us still feel uneasy whenever we encounter images that too closely resemble the tragic events of last fall.

According to an exclusive survey conducted for American Demographics by online market research firm Harris Interactive between June 20 and 26, 2002, 43 percent of Americans admit that a television show or movie has made them feel uncomfortable in the past year because of material that was similar in nature to the Sept. 11 attacks. A quarter (26 percent) of the 2,050 adults who responded to our poll say that even today they find themselves upset by certain movies or TV programs.

"People go into a trance when they watch TV," says Dr. Joyce Brothers, author and noted psychologist. "The brain is actually quieter when watching television than it is when dreaming, and thus their guard is down and their fear breaks through." Because the terrorist attacks created more widows than widowers, says Dr. Brothers, women were able to put themselves in the shoes of the victims' families and have thus been most likely to suffer from this type of shell shock. Indeed, fully 55 percent of females, compared with 29 percent of males, say that the images in a TV show or a movie have caused them to feel uncomfortable at least once in the past year. And 1 in 3 women (35 percent) are sometimes still emotional today, compared with just 16 percent of men.

Older adults are also having a hard time disconnecting Hollywood fiction from real life events: 31 percent of those age 50 and older admit they still feel uncomfortable while watching some TV shows or movies, whereas only 18 percent of adults under 30 say the same.

It's no surprise that the emotional toll struck hardest in the Northeast and the South. That's because so many people in the regions were actually able to visit the sites of the attacks in Pennsylvania, New York City and Washington, D.C., says Dr. Brothers. "Anytime you are physically farther away from a tragedy, you are less likely to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder," she says. According to the survey, 29 percent of Northeasterners and Southerners say certain television shows or movies still cause them anxiety at times, compared with 22 percent of Westerners and 23 percent of those in the Midwest.

Anxiety attacks or not, Americans are not shying away from television or films. In fact, 1 adult in 10 says they're watching TV and going to the cinema more often these days than they did before the attacks, according to the American Demographics/Harris Interactive poll. But they're not necessarily watching the same type of entertainment as they did before 9/11, finding certain movie themes and categories of TV shows more engaging now. Specifically, a quarter of all adults (24 percent) say that spiritually uplifting films appeal to them more today than they did prior to Sept. 11. Family movies and documentaries also have more appeal, with 23 percent and 22 percent of adults, respectively, saying they are more interested in these types of films.

Older adults and women have been increasingly drawn to the warm and fuzzy uplifting and family genres since Sept. 11, whereas men and young adults are more interested in films with darker themes like war and terrorism. "It just makes sense," says Mark Gill, president of Miramax in Los Angeles. "American men want movies that are exciting, and today, terrorism is exciting. Women are running away from those types of movies because they have enough reminders of terrorism from the nightly news."

Indeed, just 5 percent of women say they are more interested in watching a movie about terrorism or a hijacking today, compared with 10 percent of men. Younger demographics are also more attracted to such motion pictures. Almost a quarter (22 percent) of the all-important 18- to 24-year-old movie audience, and 10 percent of those ages 25 to 29, say they are more interested in terrorism and hijacking films today than they were before the attacks. Fewer than 5 percent of adults age 40 and older share that interest.

Wartime epics, still favored more by men than by women, have a slightly broader appeal. In fact, 1 in 6 men (17 percent) and 1 in 10 women (10 percent) are more interested in seeing a wartime epic now than they were a year ago.

Still, many women would be happier seeing a film that engaged their hearts and souls. Fully 32 percent of women say that spiritually uplifting films are more appealing today than they were before the attacks. Only 16 percent of men say the same. Similarly, 29 percent of adults age 40 and older say that they are more interested in family films, compared with just 17 percent of adults under age 30.