Information and Entertainment in European Mass Media Systems: Preferences for and Uses of Television and Newspapers

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Abstract
It is examined whether preferences of persons and public control of the media determine informational rather than entertainment media use in European countries. Informational use is conceived of as newspaper reading, entertainment use as television viewing. On the person level, the hypotheses that preferences for information increase informational media use and that preferences for entertainment decrease it are tested—controlling for resources. On the country level, the hypotheses that public control increases informational media use as well as the positive effects of preferences for information on informational media use are tested—controlling for supply breadth and wealth. Data are 69 samples from 29 countries of the European Social Survey 2002, 2004, and 2006. On the person level, preferences for information increase, but preferences for entertainment do not decrease, informational media use. Public control increases informational media use only insofar as it decreases television use; but unexpectedly it also decreases newspaper use. In contrast, the supply of newspapers shows both expected effects: it increases informational and decreases entertainment media use. The expectation that public control increases the positive impact of preferences for information on informational media use is confirmed in four of the six tests.

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