The Role of Perceptions of Media Bias in General and Issue-Specific Political Participation |
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| Authors: | Shirley S Ho Andrew R Binder Amy B Becker Patricia Moy Dietram A Scheufele Dominique Brossard |
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| Institution: | 1. Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information , Nanyang Technological University tsyho@ntu.edu.sg;3. Department of Life Sciences Communication , University of Wisconsin–Madison;4. Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies , Towson University;5. Department of Communication , University of Washington |
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| Abstract: | Despite a large body of literature documenting factors influencing general political participation, research has lagged in understanding what motivates participation regarding specific issues. Our research fills this gap by examining the interplay of perceptions of media bias, trust in government, and political efficacy on individuals' levels of general and issue-specific political participation. Using survey data with indicators related to general political participation, our results demonstrate that perceptions of media bias overall are negatively related to general political participation. Moreover, this relationship is an indirect one, mediated by trust in government and political efficacy. Using survey data with indicators of issue-specific political participation in the context of stem cell research, our results show that—contrary to the relationship found for general political participation—perceptions of media bias are directly and positively associated with issue-specific participation. Implications for political participation and media bias theories are discussed. |
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