A new YouGov survey about media representation finds that most Americans believe it’s important that film and television characters are representative of the overall population. A little more than one-third think characters have become more representative in the last 20 years. The survey also explored which demographic groups Americans think are under- and overrepresented in film and TV.
The majority (55%) of Americans say it’s very or somewhat important that film and TV characters are representative of the overall population, including 21% who say it is very important. Black Americans (66%) are more likely than Hispanic Americans (57%) and white Americans (54%) to say it is important.
Many believe entertainment has become more representative. 36% say that within the last 20 years, film and television characters have become more representative of the U.S. population. Fewer (24%) say characters in media have become less representative of the American population; 22% say that there hasn’t been much change.
White Americans (26%) and Hispanic Americans (24%) are more likely than Black Americans (14%) to say film and TV characters are less representative of the population compared to 20 years ago.
Among Americans 65 and older, 32% think characters have become more representative compared to 20 years ago; slightly more (38%) say they’ve become less representative.
Republicans (38%) are more likely than Independents (21%) and Democrats (12%) to say film and TV characters have become less representative of the American population over the last 20 years.
Which groups do Americans feel are underrepresented among film and TV characters? 51% say poor people are underrepresented and 50% say the same about people with disabilities. At least one-third of Americans say people over 60 (39%), people who are overweight (37%), immigrants (36%), and Asian people (33%) are underrepresented.
The groups Americans are most likely to say are overrepresented among film and TV characters are wealthy people (50%), people in same-sex relationships (36%), transgender people (32%), and white people (32%).
64% of Black Americans say white people are overrepresented among film and TV characters; 37% of Hispanic Americans and 25% of white Americans agree. 5% of Black Americans think black people are overrepresented in media, compared to 16% of Hispanic Americans and 23% of white Americans. 5% of Black Americans, 3% of Hispanic Americans, and 10% of white Americans say Hispanic people are overrepresented among characters.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say the following groups are overrepresented among film and TV characters: white people (63% vs. 11%), men (44% vs. 7%), and wealthy people (60% vs. 40%).
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say transgender people are overrepresented among film and TV characters (51% vs. 13%). Other groups Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say are overrepresented include people in same-sex relationships (53% vs. 17%), Black people (36% vs. 5%), and people in interracial relationships (32% vs. 11%).
Black Americans (57%) and Hispanic Americans (55%) are more likely than white Americans (34%) to agree with the statement, “When I was growing up I struggled to find role models who looked like me in movies and TV.” They are also more likely to agree with the statement, “I find that the portrayal of people like me are often one-dimensional or stereotypes.” 66% of Black Americans, 57% of Hispanic Americans, and 48% of white Americans agree with this.
White Americans (74%) are more likely than Hispanic Americans (64%) and Black Americans (54%) to agree with the statement, “I don’t particularly care if characters I see in movies or TV look like me or remind me of myself.”
The statement Americans are most likely to agree with among the seven included in the poll is, “The best directors can tell good stories about anyone.” 80% of U.S. adult citizens — including 81% of white Americans, 78% of Black Americans, and 78% of Hispanic Americans — agree with this statement.
The survey also asked Americans whether it’s acceptable for actors to play characters of a gender identity, orientation, race, or ability different from their own. 51% of Americans say it is unacceptable for a male actor to play a female character; 50% say it’s unacceptable for a female actor to play a male character.
42% think it’s unacceptable for a white actor to play a racial minority character; 33% say this is acceptable. 33% say it’s unacceptable for an actor of a racial minority to play a white character, but more (42%) say this is acceptable.
Majorities say it is acceptable for gay or lesbian actors to play a straight character (61%), straight actors to play a gay or lesbian character (55%), and actors who are not disabled to play a disabled character (54%).
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See the results for this YouGov survey
— Carl Bialik and Taylor Orth contributed to this article
Methodology: This article includes results from an online survey conducted January 17 - 21, 2025 among 1,124 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty
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