A Big Data Approach to Understanding News Repertoires, Exposure Diversity and Voting Behavior in the 2016 U.S. Election

• In Event: Understanding Information Repertoires and News Consumption

Abstract

This study uses set-top box data collected from 565,138 cable-subscribing households in 15 states to explore the news repertoires of American citizens and the relationship to voting behaviors in the 2016 U.S. election. The results reveal notably different repertoires, some defined by ideologically driven selective exposure, others defined by political interest selective exposure (preference/disinterest in the news), and others that are seemingly neutral. In turn, exposure diversity predicts voting behavior. While the impact on general election turnout was relatively weak, the findings indicate that greater exposure diversity predicts voting in the Democratic primary. Moreover, there was a clear relationship between exposure to partisan news media and voting in that respective party’s primary election.

Authors

• Thomas Burton Ksiazek, Villanova University

• Su Jung Kim, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California

• Edward Malthouse, Northwestern U