Media Attention, Institutional Response, and Health Behavior Change: The Case of Drunk Driving, 1978-1996

This study considers media effects on behavior that are mediated through other social institutions. Examined is the extent to which changes over time in the amount of media attention to the issue of drunk driving (DD) may have contributed to the reduction in DD behavior between 1978 and 1996. It was hypothesized that media effects on DD behavior were mediated by policy response (i.e., legislation) to the DD problem. Aggregated measures of media attention, legislation, and DD behavior for 38 consecutive 6-month periods were used in a time-series regression analysis. Results indicate that although substantial direct media effects on DD-related legislation and behavior were present, the direct effect of media on behavior was no longer significant when the effect of legislation on behavior was controlled. These results suggest that future research efforts to uncover media effects on human behavior may benefit from considering the indirect impact of mass media on the social and cultural environment that surrounds individuals.