Aug 13, 2025 04:42 PM
Rise in gun violence in top U.S. movies parallels growth in gun homicides among young people
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1094529
EXCERPTS: The growth in firearm use for violent purposes in the most popular U.S. movies over more than two decades closely paralleled the increase in firearm use in real-world homicide rates among young people 15 to 24 years old, according to a new analysis published today.
The study also found an increase in gun violence in TV dramas that was less dramatic than in movies. As shown in the paper, from 2000 to 2021 the rate of firearm violence in the top 30 popular movies increased about 200%. In comparison, the rate of firearm violence in TV dramas increased by about 40% and did not display as great a recent increase as in movies. Nevertheless, that rise on TV was also consistent with the hypothesis that gun portrayal in entertainment may have played a role in the upward trend in firearm use among young people.
The study, by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania, examined the proportion of violence using firearms in 330 of the top 30 movies and half of the episodes of 49 of the top-rated broadcast television dramas in three genres from 2000 to 2021. These rates were compared with the proportions of homicide and suicide resulting from firearms among young people, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The research, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, was based on coding of over 8,000 five-minute movie segments that came from a random half-sample of the top 30 most popular movies each year from 2000 to 2021. These include such movies as “Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol,” “Deadpool,” “Black Panther,” “The Matrix Revolutions,” “Watchmen,” and “Fast & Furious 6.” Coders identified segments that featured violence and noted whether a firearm (as opposed to other means) was used for violent purposes.
[...] The researchers also considered two alternative hypotheses but found that neither the increase in economic adversity following the 2008 recession nor the greater availability of firearms due to the rise of gun purchases provided as clear an explanation for the increase in firearm homicides among young people. (MORE - details, no ads)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1094529
EXCERPTS: The growth in firearm use for violent purposes in the most popular U.S. movies over more than two decades closely paralleled the increase in firearm use in real-world homicide rates among young people 15 to 24 years old, according to a new analysis published today.
The study also found an increase in gun violence in TV dramas that was less dramatic than in movies. As shown in the paper, from 2000 to 2021 the rate of firearm violence in the top 30 popular movies increased about 200%. In comparison, the rate of firearm violence in TV dramas increased by about 40% and did not display as great a recent increase as in movies. Nevertheless, that rise on TV was also consistent with the hypothesis that gun portrayal in entertainment may have played a role in the upward trend in firearm use among young people.
The study, by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania, examined the proportion of violence using firearms in 330 of the top 30 movies and half of the episodes of 49 of the top-rated broadcast television dramas in three genres from 2000 to 2021. These rates were compared with the proportions of homicide and suicide resulting from firearms among young people, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The research, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, was based on coding of over 8,000 five-minute movie segments that came from a random half-sample of the top 30 most popular movies each year from 2000 to 2021. These include such movies as “Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol,” “Deadpool,” “Black Panther,” “The Matrix Revolutions,” “Watchmen,” and “Fast & Furious 6.” Coders identified segments that featured violence and noted whether a firearm (as opposed to other means) was used for violent purposes.
[...] The researchers also considered two alternative hypotheses but found that neither the increase in economic adversity following the 2008 recession nor the greater availability of firearms due to the rise of gun purchases provided as clear an explanation for the increase in firearm homicides among young people. (MORE - details, no ads)