② Comparisons between Japanese and American Students in Their Everyday Life
First of all, we would like to take a brief look at the daily living routine of the participating students. What kind of life style do both youth have in an everyday situation?
２-1 TV watching patterns and information sources
How much TV do you watch each week day?
We found a significant difference in the length of time students spend watching television. While the most American students watch TV "one-two hours a day", their Japanese counterparts responded that they watch TV "more than three hours a day". This tendency is more conspicuous among high schoolers. Whereas three quarters of Japanese high school students spend more than two hours a day watching TV, the largest high school viewing population was found among those students who watch TV thirty minutes to an hour a day in the US.
Since the total amount of time students are required to be in school is almost the same, we can clearly see the difference in the remainder of their daily activities. It should be noted that in Japan outside of school activity choices as well as family activity options are somewhat limited due to insufficient public facilities.
In terms of the academic aspirations of the students, those who want only a high school diploma tend to watch television more than three hours a day, while students interested in going to graduate school watch less TV. One could conclude that the amount of time students spend in their individual study contributes to the difference.
It is only natural that the longer one watches television, the more one is affected by the programming. In the US less than one third of the respondents admitted TV is their main information source, but the figure amounts to 80% in Japan. For example, students at NW high school in the US, which is considered to be a rural school, and N Japanese high school students both reported that they heavily rely upon TV as their information source.
However, the viewing rate is lower at the college level. Even at the high school level, 26% of the campus town situated I high school students responded that no information can be obtained through TV and that more than 80% of its students say they do not depend upon TV as their information source. This illustrates how social stratification, not age, can be the primary determinant in certain issues. Interpreting this data, the impact of TV upon the younger generation is a lot more significant in Japan.
[Do you feel TV is your primary source in getting information as a whole]
