Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Sociology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Sociology and Criminology

Advisor/Mentor

Niño, Michael D.

Committee Member

Bradlet, Mindy S.

Second Committee Member

Scaptura, Maria

Keywords

crime; cultivation theory; gun control; internet usage; policing; social media

Abstract

I aimed to understand whether and how use of the internet and social media shapes attitudes on gun control, policing, and general crime. I use elements of cultivation theory to explain how exposure to media content insights moral panics and influences public beliefs on issues like guns and policing. Data were drawn from the 2023 Pew Research Center National Public Opinion Reference Survey (N=4,713), an annual survey of United States adults to produce benchmark estimates for various topics. I hypothesized that data from the survey will show frequent social media and internet usage influences attitudes towards crime, policing, and guns. I examined differences by political party affiliation. The findings of this study show that internet and social media use are not significant factors in influencing public opinion on gun ownership, law enforcement funding, and neighborhood crime while control variables of race, gender, education, and political party affiliation do have a significant effect on such issues.

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