Abstract
This study reassesses the ability of the mass media to directly influence voter opinions. By combining data on media content with individuals’ assessments of political parties during the 2005 UK election campaign, we are able to test newspapers’ persuasive influence in a way previously considered a ‘virtual impossibility’.
Utilizing repeated measures from the 2005 BES campaign panel, multilevel regression analysis reveals significant impact of partisan slant not just on the evaluation of the party mentioned but also on evaluations of its competitor(s). The strongest evidence of direct media persuasion is provided by the finding that variation in slant over the campaign drives how undecided voters evaluate the incumbent government party, even when controlling for a newspaper’s average partisan slant.
Utilizing repeated measures from the 2005 BES campaign panel, multilevel regression analysis reveals significant impact of partisan slant not just on the evaluation of the party mentioned but also on evaluations of its competitor(s). The strongest evidence of direct media persuasion is provided by the finding that variation in slant over the campaign drives how undecided voters evaluate the incumbent government party, even when controlling for a newspaper’s average partisan slant.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 441-463 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | British Journal of Political Science |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 16 Dec 2011 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 29 Feb 2012 |