Nojin Kwak wanted to know how TV entertainment talk shows affect the political attitudes and behaviors of young adults, so he did something about it.

He conducted a study.

Hey, he’s a university professor, so what did you expect a keg and pizza party?

Hmmm. (Now that would be money well spent.)

Anyway, if his own research is any indication, many of the 18- to 24-year-old subjects of his study probably won’t find out what he discovered.

“One of the defining political characteristics of young adults is, indeed, lack of political interest,” he said.

Boring politicians don’t help, either. (Quote me on that, not the professor.)

We already know, based on other studies, that young folks are turning more to the Internet, cable TV and magazines for their news. And they’re also looking to comedy shows, such as “Saturday Night Live,” and other late-night programs for information.

That’s where Dr. Kwak comes in. He wanted to examine the impact that entertainment shows are having on young folks.

Here’s what he found: Daytime programs, such as “Oprah” and “Montel Williams,” generally are good at dealing with issues without turning off people.

But Letterman and Leno are causing problems with their late-night jabs at politicians, Kwak said.

Watching too much “Late Show With David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show (starring Jay Leno)” apparently can foster “political cynicism among young Americans,” the study found.

Not that politicians need much help generating cynicism.

Still, the shows “often present a cynical and negative portrait of candidates and campaign events, and young people rely on these shows as a quick way to learn about what’s happening on the political trail,” Kwak said.

Consequently, he said, “These young Americans tend to undervalue the significance of their votes in the election, and they are also more likely to mistrust politicians.”

Does that mean we need to put a muzzle on Leno and Letterman?

“I’m not advocating curtailing their message,” Kwak said. “Their intent is to be funny. But whether that (humor) is pejorative or not, they have an impact.”

A recent Pew Research Center study showed that 61 percent of adults younger than 30 “regularly or sometimes learn about political campaigns” from comedy and late-night shows, Kwak said.

Plus, he pointed out, “If candidates themselves appear, they are less likely to be ridiculed” at least for that one particular show.

Bill Clinton sort of got the ball rolling in 1992 when he went on Arsenio Hall’s late-night show and played the saxophone, Kwak said.

The bottom line, Kwak said, is that his study demonstrates “that entertainment talk shows matter for young people’s political engagement.”

You can read about the study by logging onto www.umich.edu/news. Click on “Releases,” and stroll down to this Aug. 13 headline “No laughing matter: Late night talk shows can turn young adults into cynics.”

I’m sure Kwak won’t have the last word on this subject. I’d put my money on Letterman and Leno.

James Ragland is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News.

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