Cross-National versus Individual Differences' in Political Information: A Media System Perspective

Curran, James P.; Ivengar, Shanto; Brink Lund, Anker; Salovaara-Moring, Inka; Hahn, Kyu S and Coen, Sharon. 2010. Cross-National versus Individual Differences' in Political Information: A Media System Perspective. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 20(3), pp. 291-309. ISSN 1745-7289 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

We propose a context‐dependent approach to the study of political information. Combining a content analysis of broadcast news with a national survey measuring public awareness of various events, issues, and individuals in the news, we show that properties of national media systems influence both the supply of news and citizens’ awareness of events in the news. Public service‐oriented media systems deliver hard news more frequently than market‐based systems. It follows that for citizens living under public service regimes, the opportunity costs of exposure to hard news are significantly lowered. Lowered costs allow less interested citizens to acquire political knowledge. Our analyses demonstrate that the knowledge gap between the more and less interested is widest in the US and smallest in Scandinavia.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2010.490707

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Media, Communications and Cultural Studies
Media, Communications and Cultural Studies > Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre

Dates:

DateEvent
2010Published

Item ID:

14220

Date Deposited:

19 Oct 2015 13:57

Last Modified:

27 Feb 2019 12:07

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/14220

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