Thou shalt not fear: Crime drama and safety concerns

Dariia Mykhailyshyna and David Zuchowski

No 91, TUPD Discussion Papers from Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University

Abstract: Does prosocial television reduce safety concerns? Using daily municipal-level data before and after broadcasts of the Polish crime drama Ojciec Mateusz (Father Matthew), we exploit distance from Sandomierz, the town where the show is set, as a source of variation in the psychological salience of the broadcast. Reported safety concerns decline near Sandomierz the day after a broadcast, with the effect fading with distance. The effect is driven by low-violence episodes and police-substantiated reports, consistent with the show’s prosocial content improving actual safety.

Pages: 12 pages
Date: 2026-10-13
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:toh:tupdaa:91

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