A recent Rasmussen poll shows that very few Americans believe Hollywood has a positive effect on society, and 56 percent of respondents believe that Hollywood has a liberal point of view.
Quick Facts
Hollywood often uses movies to advance social causes or their political agenda, and increasingly the celebrities themselves use their own high-profile platforms to call attention to causes that are important to them or to make their opinions known. Yet according to one survey, Americans think Hollywood has a negative impact on society. Rasmussen Reports asked 1,000 people the following two questions:
With a margin of error of +/- 3 percent, just one in four respondents answered that they believe Hollywood has had a positive impact on society, while 75 percent say it has had a negative effect. On the second question, 56 percent said Hollywood’s politics are liberal compared to 8 percent who believe they are conservative and 23 percent who believe they are moderate.
The film industry has gained a reputation for pushing left-wing causes such as climate change, antiracism initiatives, abortion rights, feminism, and the LGBT movement.
However, Hollywood’s devotion to its political causes could be causing a divide between average Americans and celebrities. Further evidence of this rift can be found in the low ratings that awards shows receive.
This year’s Oscars recorded an average of 9.85 million viewers, the lowest in history and 58.3 percent fewer than the previous year, which was also the previous low.
After the ratings blunder, Piers Morgan tweeted, “BREAKING: Oscars ratings crash to an all-time low, down a staggering 58% on last year’s Awards (which was also an all-time low.) As I feared, the woke brigade may have now destroyed the biggest, glitziest event in showbusiness.”
Megyn Kelly tweeted, “How’s all that incessant, insufferable woke, depressing lecturing via film, interviews, social media & at the actual, awful awards show going, Hollywood?”
It seems that average Americans are tired of being lectured by multimillionaires on their moral deficiencies or their lack of adequate support for leftist causes. Maybe it’s the hypocrisy they display, such as flying around on private jets while chiding soccer moms for driving their kids in SUVs or insisting that the hired help wear masks while they are free to go without. Or maybe it’s their insistence on forcing sexually explicit material, the obligatory LBGT character, and secular values into every production, including so-called family-friendly fare. Or perhaps it’s just that Americans really don’t care about woke causes or the shallow opinions of self-important movie stars. Whatever the reason, Americans are increasingly tuning them out.
