How Long Do News Framing Effects Last? A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies

• In Event: Advances in Framing Research: Experimentation

Abstract

News framing is at the core of the communication research agenda. Framing effects have been amply demonstrated, but how long do these effects last? A growing number of studies investigate the duration of news framing effects. This article presents a systematic review of these studies to help us make sense of their findings. We offer a review of the theoretical premises and designs of these (experimental) studies. Our results suggest that most studies report framing effects on opinions that persist beyond initial exposure and that may be influential for subsequent decision-making, but that durability of effects heavily depends on whether individuals are exposed to competitive frames also. We also find that little is known about duration of news framing effects on behavior and emotional responses. We propose a research agenda for future studies.

Authors

• Sophie Lecheler, U of Amsterdam

• Claes H. De Vreese, U of Amsterdam