6533b7d6fe1ef96bd1265a8c
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The Polarizing Impact of News Coverage on Populist Attitudes in the Public: Evidence From a Panel Study in Four European Democracies
Anne SchulzSven EngesserWerner WirthPhilipp MüllerChristian SchemerDominique S. WirzMartin Wettsteinsubject
Panel surveyLinguistics and Languagebusiness.industryCommunicationmedia_common.quotation_subject05 social sciencesPolarization (politics)050801 communication & media studiesPublic administrationPublic opinionMetropolitan areaLanguage and Linguistics0506 political sciencePopulism0508 media and communicationsContent analysisPolitical sciencePolitical economy050602 political science & public administrationIdeologybusinessNews mediamedia_commondescription
This study explores how news messages carrying parts of the populist ideology contribute to a polarization of public opinion about populism. It combines a content analysis of news coverage on two policy areas (N = 7,119 stories) with a two-wave panel survey (N = 2,338) in four European metropolitan regions (Berlin, Paris, London, and Zurich). In three regions, unopposed media messages with a populist stance have a conditional effect on populist attitudes that depends on prior convictions. A higher dose of exposure to populist news coverage enhances both prior agreement and disagreement with populism. Although the observed interaction patterns vary between regions, the general picture suggests that populist messages in the news foster polarization between public support and disapproval of populism.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-10-31 | Journal of Communication |