Effect of Television News Viewing on Risk Perception: Focusing on the Coverage of Mad Cow Disease in South Korea

Mad cow disease has been considered the biggest issue in South Korea since 2008. Given the great concern, television news has played a key role in educating people about the issues related to mad cow disease. Therefore, this study examined how watching television news coverage of mad cow disease influenced risk perception of the disease. As theoretical background, uses and gratifications perspective and the cultivation theory were employed. A pilot study was conducted to define viewers’ motivations for watching television news through a focus group. In the main study, a survey (N = 210) revealed that individuals motivated by information seeking perceived more risk toward the mad cow disease. Additionally, the viewing satisfaction and frequency of television news coverage of mad cow disease are positively associated with risk perception. These findings contribute to a greater understanding of television news audiences in terms of risk communication. The research implications and limitations are discussed for future research.