Exploring the Role of Television in Opinion Formulation of Youth on National Issues

Abstract

This study explored the influence of various private TV news and current affairs channels in opinion formulation of youth regarding terrorism, energy crisis, unemployment, and present law and order situation in the country. Mainly the survey method was used for the collection of data, employing a self-administered questionnaire. Male and female university-going students of graduate and post graduate level of Islamabad, belonging to different income levels and age groups, formed the population of the study. The data were analysed at the two levels of analysis, univariate and bivariate using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and simple linear regression respectively. The study found a significant and positive relationship between private TV news and current affairs channels and their impact on the opinion formulation of youth regarding the national issues of terrorism, energy crisis and unemployment, and law and order situation in the country.