Political Communication, Media Trust, and Political Participation: Factors and Consequences of Media Trust

• In Event: News Media Effects

Abstract

This study investigates the relationships among political communication, trust in the traditional media, and political participation in the context of South Korean political communication. Data from a survey among South Korean partisans (N = 634) were used for this investigation. Results show that exposure to political news predicts trust-in-media negatively and political discussion moderates the association such that supporters of Democratic Party who never have political discussions are more likely to show a negative association between exposure to political news and trust-in-media. More importantly, trust-in-media is indirectly linked to political efficacy, which, in turn, is linked to political participation, through trust-in-government. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Authors

• Hyunjung Kim, Sungkyunkwan University

• Yoon-Jung Choi, Sungkyunkwan U