The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
No Need to Watch: How the Effects of Partisan Media Can Spread via Interpersonal Discussions
Abstract
To what extent do partisan media sources shape public opinion? On its face, it would appear that the impact of partisan media is limited, given that it attracts a relatively small audience. We argue, however, that its influence may extend beyond its direct audience via a two‐step communication flow. Specifically, those who watch and are impacted by partisan media outlets talk to and persuade others who did not watch. We present experimental results that demonstrate this process. We therefore show that previous studies may have significantly underestimated the effect of these outlets. We also illustrate that how the two‐step communication flow works is contingent upon the precise composition of the discussion group (e.g., is it consistent of all fellow partisans or a mix of partisans?). We conclude by highlighting what our results imply about the study of media, preference formation, and partisan polarization.
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“polarization effects can still spread through a two-step communication process whereby individuals who have been exposed to partisan media influence co-partisans who have not been directly exposed (Fig. 2), thereby increasing overall levels of attitudinal extremity253.”
From Cognitive–motivational mechanisms of political polarization in social-communicative contexts (2022) · cites this paper as [253]
Citations
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Chong, D., & Druckman, J. N. (2007) · Annual Review of Political Science · doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.10.072805.103054 · Cited by 3,071
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How Elite Partisan Polarization Affects Public Opinion Formation
DRUCKMAN, J. N., PETERSON, E., & SLOTHUUS, R. (2013) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.1017/s0003055412000500 · Cited by 1,569
Self-citationThe Difference Between “Significant” and “Not Significant” is not Itself Statistically Significant
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“This is a common pattern (Gelman and Stern 2006).”
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(2009) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.47-0104 · Cited by 1,256
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Sorted by citations
The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States
Iyengar, S., Lelkes, Y., Levendusky, M., Malhotra, N., & Westwood, S. J. (2019) · Annual Review of Political Science · doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-051117-073034 · Cited by 3,603
Self-citationFacts and Where to Find Them: Empirical Research on Internet Platforms and Content Moderation
Keller, D., & Leerssen, P. (2020) · Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) · doi:10.1017/9781108890960
Skovsgaard, M., & Andersen, K. V. (2019) · Journalism Studies · doi:10.1080/1461670x.2019.1686410 · Cited by 426
Social Media, Echo Chambers, and Political Polarization
Barberá, P. (2020) · Social Media and Democracy · doi:10.1017/9781108890960.004 · Cited by 373
Does Counter-Attitudinal Information Cause Backlash? Results from Three Large Survey Experiments
Guess, A., & Coppock, A. (2020) · British Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1017/s0007123418000327 · Cited by 372
Metadata
- Authors
- Druckman, J. N., Levendusky, M. S., & McLain, A.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Temple University (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Political Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-08-08
- Volume
- 62
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 99-112
- ISSN
- 0092-5853 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-5907
- OpenAlex
- W1684208437
- Cited by
- 291
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 77 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 78.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Political Science (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Penn's PORES program and Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
- Social Sciences › Communication › News Media Framing and Political Communication
- Keywords
- partisan media, two-step flow of communication, interpersonal persuasion, public opinion formation, media influence, partisan polarization, preference formation
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