The Zogby Report reveals that:
 
Teens learn the less admirable aspects of their heritage from entertainment 
industry stereotyping.

Teens' perceptions of other ethnic, religious, and racial groups are shaped 
by entertainment industry stereotypes.  

Not suprisingly, 44% of teens say that Italian Americans are most often cast 
as crime bosses or gang members; and 34% associate Italian Americans with 
restaurant workers.

But very sadly, When Italian American teens were asked if their ethnic 
heritage was 
accurately portrayed on television or in the movies, 46% agreed and nearly 
30% said they were proud of their TV image. (!!!!)
================================================
THE ZOGBY REPORT 
NATIONAL SURVEY: AMERICAN TEEN-AGERS AND STEREOTYPING 

Submitted to: 
THE NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION 

Submitted by: 
ZOGBY INTERNATIONAL MARCH 1, 2001 

Contact:  
Rebecca Wittman at Zogby International (315) 624-0200 
or 
Dona De Sanctis at The National Italian American Foundation (202)387-0600 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

METHODOLOGY: 

In the Summer of 2000, Zogby International interviewed 1,264 teenagers 
nationwide between the ages of 13 and 18. [Males: 591; Females: 673]. 

The purpose of the survey was to determine whether or not teen-agers in 
general and Italian American teen-agers in particular perceive stereotyping 
on television and in the movies and if they do, how such stereotyping affects 
them. Teen-agers of different ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds 
participated in the survey, including: Northern Europeans (446); Italian 
Americans (321); Eastern Europeans (56); Central/South Americans (61); 
African Americans (54); Asians & Pacific Islanders (28); and Middle 
Easterners (10). The margin of error is +/-3%/ Margins of error are higher in 
sub-groups. Note: percentages are rounded off. 

MAJOR FINDINGS: 
When asked to identify the role a person of a particular ethnic or racial 
background would be most likely to play in a movie or on television, teen 
agers cited familiar stereotypes:

African American:   Athlete, gang member, police officer    
Arab American:  Terrorist, convenience store clerk  
Asian American:     Physician/lawyer, CEO, factory worker   
Hispanic:   Gang member, factory worker     
Italian American:   Crime boss, gang member, restaurant worker  
Jewish American:    Pysician/lawyer, CEO, teacher   
Irish American:     Drunkard, police officer, factory worker    
Polish American:    Factory worker  
    
Movie roles that link Italian Americans with crime (44%) and portray Arab 
Americans as terrorists (34%) receive the highest percentages of all from the 
teen-agers surveyed nationally. Among the other findings: 

32% say African Americans are portrayed as athletes; another 31% say they are 
gang members while nearly 11% see African American characters as police 
officers.

34% of the teens nationwide say that the media typecast Arab Americans as 
terrorists while another 49% see them as vendors or convenience store clerks.

Teens expect Asian Americans to have more varied roles: 19% say they are 
physicians or lawyers; 13% say they are likely to be executives; 12% say 
factory workers.

27% of the teens say they see Hispanics on TV or in the movies as gang 
members and 17% say a Hispanic could be a factory worker.

Irish Americans are usually cast as drunkards (26%), police officers (15%) or 
factory workers (11%), according to the teens in the survey.

44% of teens say that Italian Americans are most often cast as crime bosses 
or gang members; and 34% associate Italian Americans with restaurant workers.

22% of the teens find a doctor or a lawyer on TV and in the movies is apt to 
be Jewish American. 10% see Jewish Americans cast as teachers.

Polish Americans do not fit any one stereotype, with 15% saying this ethnic 
group fits the image of a factory worker, and 31% of teens saying they are 
"not sure" what part a Polish American would play on TV or in the movies.

When asked specifically to identify the role a character of Italian 
background would be most likely to have in a movie or on television, most 
teen-agers, including Italian Americans, cited crime boss: African American 
teens (41%); Italian American teens (38%); Northern European teens (32%) and 
Jewish teens (32%). 

When describing roles for Italian Americans, teens who view no TV are less 
likely to say "crime boss": 27% compared to teens who watch one to two hours 
a day (34%) and those who watch more than five hours a day (35%).

When Italian American teens were asked if their ethnic heritage was 
accurately portrayed on television or in the movies, 46% agreed and nearly 
30% said they were proud of their TV image. 

CONCLUSIONS: 

This study reveals that:
 
Teens learn the less admirable aspects of their heritage from entertainment 
industry stereotyping.

Teens' perceptions of other ethnic, religious, and racial groups are shaped 
by entertainment industry stereotypes.