The Effect of Changing Partisan Exemplars in the Media on Partisan Stereotypes

• In Event: Source Credibility and Partisan Cues

Abstract

Partisans hold negative and inaccurate stereotypes about members of the out-party, and these stereotypes are associated with increased affective polarization. Yet, little research has explored where these stereotypes come from. Drawing on theories of stereotype construction from psychology, we argue that stereotypes of the out-party are formed from the stream of partisan exemplars that an individual encounters, either in person or, more commonly, through the media. According to this theory, stereotypes are stable when the stream of exemplars is stable. However, when the stream of partisan exemplars changes, for example, because of a change in media consumption, we expect stereotypes to change to match the content of the new stream of exemplars.

We evaluate this theory using a panel or repeated-exposure experiment. We recruit participants from a demographically representative sample to receive a daily “news update” delivered over email or social media for a two-week period. We use a 2x2 design that randomly assigns participants to receive stories that vary in terms of the ideological extremity of the in-party and out-party politicians that they cover. We then measure the change between a baseline enrollment survey and a post-treatment survey in stereotypes of the two parties, affect towards the two parties, and trust in government. The results shed light on how stereotypes of partisans are constructed. They also suggest that the nationalization of media consumption and the rise of partisan and social media has contributed to affective polarization by changing the stereotypes individuals have of the two parties.

Author

• C. Daniel Myers, University of Minnesota