Television game show viewers: A cultivated audience?

This article addresses two main sets of questions. First, is there a characteristic social profile of regular game show viewers, and do these viewers constitute a single audience ? Second, is there any evidence that heavy game show viewing cultivates in viewers a greater beliefin the importance of luck in life and a more materialistic outlook ? The results, based on a telephone survey of 246 adult respondents in the Flemish Community of Belgium, provide a clear sociodemographic profile of the European game show audience, at least as constituted in Flanders. Furthermore, this core audience is divided into three distinct segments structured along three characteristic dimensions of game shows. Correlations obtained between game show use and luck and materialism variables, lead us to conclude that cultivation theory may provide a fruitful focus for future research.