Imperfect Control Over Media Exposure and Attitude Polarization

• In Event: Partisan Media, Selective Exposure, and Political Polarization

Abstract

In this project, we aim to portray polarization as occurring in the current media environment by accounting for imperfect control over media both when it comes to individual preference for entertainment over politics and when it comes to choosing balanced, pro- or counter-attitudinal political content. In a large-scale survey-based online experiment, and relying on a selection task, we first assessed whether subjects preferred entertainment over politics, and whether subjects wanted a balanced, pro- or counter-attitudinal article. We examined whether exposure to news polarized attitudes among those inclined towards entertainment differently than among those who preferred politics, and whether those who did not see the desired content polarized differently than those whose initial preferences were met.

Authors

• Magdalena E. Wojcieszak, U of Amsterdam

• Lauren Feldman, Rutgers University

• Natalie Jomini Stroud, U of Texas

• Bruce Bimber, U of California - Santa Barbara