Pathway to Political Participation: The Influence of Online and Offline News Media on Internal Efficacy and Turnout of First-Time Voters

• In Event: Parents and Media as Agents of Socialization

Abstract

News media play a key role in informing young citizens about politics and cultivating a sense of political efficacy. Online news media, in particular, are expected to have a positive impact due to their interactivity and new opportunities to share and discuss information. This study analyzes the impact of online and offline news media use on the growth in internal efficacy among adolescents, based on data we collected in a three wave panel survey in the Netherlands (N=729). Additionally we test the impact of internal efficacy on turnout using a fourth wave of the same sample (N=612). The results show that while newspaper reading has the strongest effects among traditional news sources, actively participating in the communication process of political information online has the strongest impact on internal efficacy. Internal efficacy, in turn, is found to be a significant predictor of first time voters.

Authors

• Judith Moller, U of Amsterdam

• Claes H. De Vreese, U of Amsterdam