A total of 155 nonlabeled, normal adults and 28 labeled, schizophrenic adults were interviewed in a study to determine differences in the two groups' perceptions of television utility and reality. Hypotheses were formulated concerning expected differences in the reported importance of television in interpersonal communication, relaxation, and entertainment and as an antidote to loneliness; differences in the perceived reality of television characters; and the correlation between reported importance of television and its perceived reality for the two groups. Results showed that schizophrenics attributed less importance to television in terms of interpersonal communication than did the normal group, while the normal sample attributed less importance to television as a means of coping with loneliness. An unexpected finding for the schizophrenics was that they attributed great importance to television for relaxation and entertainment purposes--since the traditional definition of this disorder holds that schizophrenics are often unable to experience pleasure in interpersonal contacts, this finding suggests that they may turn to the media as an alternative way of experiencing pleasure. In addition, the schizophrenic group consistently scored higher mean scores than did the normal sample on all items measuring perceived reality of television. Finally, the linkage between the reported importance of television and its perceived reality was positive for both groups. (FL)