The Effects of Mass Media on Occupational Images

European Union’s economics face significant skill shortages in professional fields essential for their societies’ security and welfare. This especially accounts for the sectors law enforcement and health care. Reasons for shortages of skilled labor are multifaceted. Next to the retirement of older generations from the workforce, factors reach from an unattractive perception of the professional field over stereotypes to the unawareness about the existence of professions and positions. When tackling skill shortages, it is crucial to understand that occupational images play a key role in attracting new generations to careers in law enforcement and health care. One main source of such occupational images are mass media. Against this backdrop, the joint research project investigates how fictional and non-fictional media exposure influences the occupational images of police officers and nurses in Denmark and Germany.