警政負面新聞第三人效果之研究

Abstract

本研究是國內第一個以「警政負面新聞」為主題的研究，希望藉由第三人效果的認知假設，探討警政負面新聞的影響。除了探討警察人員對警政負面新聞是否存在所謂的第三人效果之外；並分別從人口變項、議題涉入感、社會距離、職業認同感等變項，探究對警政負面新聞的認知影響，同時也進一步就行為層面上的關係加以剖析。\n\n本研究以服務於全國二十三縣市警察局之現職警察為目標，採用問卷調查法為主，回收並取得八百四十六份有效問卷。資料分析顯示，警政負面新聞對警察人員產生第一人和第三人的效果，受訪警察認為警政負面新聞對於自己的影響大於一般警察，即呈現了所謂的第一人效果；同時又普遍認為警政負面新聞對於一般民眾會產生更大的負面影響，呈現非常明顯的第三人效果。就社會距離而言，警政負面新聞對於一般警察和一般民眾的影響，會隨著與受訪者之間的距離增加而增加。這種社會距離的形成，肇因於不同團體之間的異質性和不確定感。\n\n對於警政議題涉入感方面，研究證實受訪者對警政新聞議題涉入愈高者，普遍認為對自己、一般警察、一般民眾愈會造成負面影響。本研究同時發現警察的職業認同感維持在中度以上，結果顯示職業認同感可以正面預測「對自己的影響」、「對一般警察的影響」、「對一般民眾的影響」三者，即警察的職業認同感愈高，愈傾向認為警政負面新聞的負面影響愈大。受訪者認為警政負面新聞的影響愈大，愈傾向支持媒介限制行動。總的來說，警政負面新聞「對自己的影響」、「對一般警察的影響」、「對一般民眾的影響」等變項，均是預測支持警政機關採取媒介限制行為的顯著變項。

This thesis is the first study in Taiwan focusing on “negative police news”, attempting to apply the third person effect theory to study the possible impact of negative news coverage of police. This research furthermore investigates several variables, including demographic variables, issue involvement, social distance, and professional identification, and their influence on the perception of negative police news. A relationship of exposure of negative news and support of media regulation is analyzed at the same time.\n\nA survey of 846 incumbent officers from twenty-three metropolitan police agencies in Taiwan was conducted. Results show that negative news coverage of police has both first and third person effects on police officers. Officers consider that effects of negative police news have stronger impact on themselves than on other officers. They generally consider that negative police news has more negative influence on the general public. From a viewpoint of social distance, an attitude formed through heterogeneity and uncertainty among different social groups, this study found that effects of exposure to negative police news upon perception of the effect on other officers were more limited than on the general public. \n\nFrom the aspect of issue involvement, the more the officers were involved in negative news issues, the more they consider negative police news has negative effects upon themselves, other officers and the general public. This study also concluded that the higher the professional identification a police officer held, the more she/he tended to consider that negative police news had a stronger impact. We also found that there was a tendency that police officers were more likely to support media regulation. Effects upon oneself, effects upon other police officers, and effects upon the general public of negative news coverage of police, were all variables significantly predicting the support of media regulation.