continued: "The Influence of U.S. Media Use and Demographic Factors on Argentine Men and Women About Perceptions of U.S. Lifestyle" by Mary E. Beadle
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Research Questions
A review of the literature on intercultural communication, cultivation studies using foreign audiences and the history of U.S. media in Argentina indicates the following research questions:

1. Are there differences between males and females in Argentine business settings and their perceptions of U.S. social reality, perceived realism and media use?
2. Are there differences between heavy (more than four hours per day) and light (less than four hours per day) viewers of television who work in Argentine business and in their perceptions of U.S. social reality, perceived realism, and media use?
3. Is perceived realism of television correlated with perceptions of U.S. social reality?
4. Are there differences between those Argentine business people who use U.S. print media and those who do not in their perceptions of U.S. social reality and perceived realism?
5. Are there differences between those Argentine business people who have personal contact with U.S. citizens and those who do not in their perceptions of U.S. social reality and perceived realism?
6. Is age, ability to understand English or education correlated with perceptions of U.S. social reality?

Methodology
In the summer and fall of 1997, the researcher contacted numerous businesses in Buenos Aires to gain their co-operation to participate in this study. Permission was given from 12 companies. These were: Rockwell International, Otis Elevator, Jose Litwin and Associates, Lloyds Bank, Telefonica de Argentina, AT&T, American Express, TGS, Suchard-Kraft Foods, Delphi Corporation (Packard Electric), Buco, and Norte. Also, one federal government office participated, the ISEG (Institute for Government Economics) and students in a master’s business program at the University of Buenos Aires (this is a program developed for those employed full time). A total of 316 surveys were collected. From June through October of 1997, surveys were distributed and collected by the researchers and her assistants.

An attempt was made to include both American-owned or -related and Argentine-owned businesses. However, gaining cooperation was difficult, despite personal contact with organizations by the researcher. Most of the companies participating in the survey were American-owned or -related. Also, managers were reluctant to have anyone other than management personnel complete the surveys. Secretaries and others who may have contact with U. S. personnel were a small segment of the respondents. Therefore, the results may be limited.

A questionnaire was developed by the researcher based on her previous studies in Argentina and Paraguay (Beadle 1997a;1997b) and on other cultivation studies. The major sections of the questionnaire were: demographic information, exposure and use of U.S. media (television, visual and print), personal contact with U. S. citizens (face to face, phone, trips to U.S., U.S. friends) belief in the accuracy of television reality, and eighteen statements about perceptions of U.S. social reality and qualities of U.S. persons. Eight of the social reality questions were based on a survey developed and used by El-Koussa and Elasmar (1995). These statements asked for estimates of the percentage of U.S. social reality (professions, living conditions, arrest for rapes, and blacks in jail). Answers on were a 5-point scale that ranged from less than 10 % (1) to more than 90 %(5). Accuracy was based on U.S. census data (Statistical Abstract of the U.S., 1995). The additional perceptual questions were developed by this researcher based on a pilot study in Paraguay competed in 1995, and a similar study with a sample of university students also completed in 1995. Ten statements including both positive and negative qualities about U.S. citizens were answered on a 5 point scale from strongly agree (1) to strongly disagree (5). Other statements were also included regarding the Argentine business personnel’s perceptions of U.S. business personnel, based on a ranking of descriptive adjectives. These adjectives were developed based on the literature in international business communication and a pilot study conducted by the author in Paraguay in 1995. A list of 14 adjectives both positive and negative were the result. Respondents were asked to rank order four of the adjectives (1=most important to 4=less important). Three categories of responses were obtained: qualities observed in North American business people you have worked with, qualities of North Americans in general, and qualities wanted in a business colleague.

Two statements were used to test reliability of perceptions of media reality which resulted in a Perceived Realism Index (PRI). The two statements were: Television programs present things as they really are; Foreign television programs present an accurate picture of how people live in foreign countries. These statements were developed by El-Koussa and Elasmar (1995) and based on Rubin (1981). A five-point scale was used to determine respondents agreement or disagreement with the statement; 1 (strongly agree) to 5 strongly disagree. A test for reliability resulted in an alpha of .71.

A factor analysis with varimax rotations applied to the 18 perceptual statements revealed four underlying variables (Table 1). Factor 1 consisted of 3 statements concerning perceptions of the number of high ranking professions (doctors, lawyers, business owners) in the United States (alpha=.75). Factor 2 consisted of 4 statementsconcerning positive perceptions of U. S. citizens (alpha= .65). (Americans are generally polite, friendly, trustworthy, happy, lead a comfortable life). Factor 3 consisted of three statements concerning household conditions in the U.S. and included perceptions of the number of two-car families, the number of families earning over $75,000 and the number of houses with air conditioning (alpha=.65). Factor 4 consisted of three statements related to negative perceptions of U.S. lifestyle, particularly the perceptions that the U.S. is a violent society and most U.S. citizens own guns (alpha=.55). This factor was the only one that included the two sets of scales (percentages and agreement).

However, interpretation revealed that the factor did consist of negative perceptions of U.S. living conditions. The statements asked for respondents to indicate agreement or disagreement on this statement: Argentines are more concerned about their family than North Americans. The other two statements asked for perceptions on the number of families who own guns and the perception that the U.S. is a violent society.

Results
Description of the Sample Males comprised 60.8% of the samples; females, 35.4% (3.8% no response). 22.8% were younger than 24; 39.9 % were between 25-35; 23.4% were 36-45; 9.8% were 46-55; and 3.5% were over 56 (0.6% no response). The educational level of the sample was fairly high with 13.3% high school; 34.2%, some university; 36.4% university; 13% post graduate (3% no response). 15.5 % report they do not speak English. However, 48.4% indicate they speak English well or very well. Others indicated they speak English in an average manner (35.8%). In other words some 85% of the sample indicated some understanding of English. 29.1% worked l5 years or less; 22.8% worked 5-10 years; 26.9% worked 11-20 years and 17.7 % worked more than 20 years (3.5% no response). 48.4% of the respondents indicated that they expect to work with U.S. businesses in the next 5 years. 32% were managers or middle managers; 38.3% were staff; 6% were technical; and 8.9% were clerical. Others included civil servants, a photographer and medical workers. 30.4% of the respondents were in the banking or financial field; 14.2 % were in manufacturing; 7.6% were in energy; 5.7% were in technology and 3.8% were in the computer field. The remaining were in diverse fields such as government, educations and medicine.

Personal contact included phone contact, actual face-to-face contact, friends in the U.S. and U.S. travel. 40.2 % indicate friends in the U.S.; 57.3 % indicated they do not have friends in the U.S. (2.5% no response). 38.9 % indicate personal contact with U.S. citizens; 49.1% indicate no personal contact (12% no response). 38% indicate phone contact with U.S. citizens; 48.4% indicate no phone contact (13.6% no response). 42.4% had traveled to the U.S.; 55.1% had not traveled to the U.S. (5.2% no response).

Media usage included overall use of television, U.S. television, U.S. films, U.S. print media and the Internet. 81% indicate they watch U.S.-made films. (16.5 % do not; 2.5% no response). 87.3% indicated weekly or less viewing of U.S. films. 39.4% indicate use of U.S. newspapers or magazines; 59.8% indicate no use (1% no response). Respondents were asked to indicate the amount of print media use on a scale of 1 (daily) to 4 (less than once per month). 40.1% indicate weekly or less reading of U. S. print media.

Overall this sample did not watch a considerable amount of television. 29.7% indicated they watched less than 1 hour per day, 64.2% indicated they watched 1 to 3 hours per day. 6% indicated they watched 4 or more hours per day. Of those who watch TV, 82% indicated they watch U.S. television. However, of those who indicated they watch U.S. television, 48.3% watch weekly; 22.8% watch daily; 3.5% watch monthly; 18.4 % watch less than monthly (9.8%,no response). One purpose of the study was to determine if differences existed between light and heavy television viewers. Unfortunately, only 19 out of the 316 respondents were heavy users. 25% use the Internet; 70.6 % do not (4.4% no response). Overall the group uses a variety of U.S. media, but few in the sample could be considered heavy users of one media. They also indicated preferences for the country of origin of foreign television shows. Programming from the U.S. was listed as most preferred (Table 2). Argentina was written in by respondents, even though this is obviously not a source of foreign programming. continued

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