Polarization and Partisan Selective Exposure
Abstract
Today, people can easily select media outlets sharing their political predispositions, a behavior known as partisan selective exposure. Additional research is needed, however, to better understand the causes and consequences of partisan selective exposure. This study investigates the relationship between partisan selective exposure and political polarization using data from the National Annenberg Election Survey. Cross-sectional results show strong evidence that partisan selective exposure is related to polarization. Over-time analyses document that partisan selective exposure leads to polarization. Some evidence supports the reverse causal direction, namely that polarization leads to partisan selective exposure. Implications for the study of media effects and normative implications—both positive and negative—are discussed. La polarisation et l’exposition sélective partisane Natalie Jomini Stroud De nos jours, les gens peuvent aisément sélectionner les médias qui partagent leurs prédispositions politiques, un comportement connu sous le nom de l’exposition sélective partisane. Des études additionnelles sont toutefois nécessaires pour mieux comprendre les causes et les conséquences de l’exposition sélective partisane. Cette étude explore la relation entre l’exposition sélective partisane et la polarisation politique à partir de données du National Annenberg Election Survey. Les résultats en coupe transversale offrent des preuves solides à l’effet que l’exposition sélective part…
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There is a gap in literature: few studies examine the level of use of different media in an integrated way, assuming the hybrid condition of the media system, and analyze affective polarization according to this.
“Pese a que son numerosos los estudios basados en la polarización afectiva y los medios de comunicación (Stroud, 2010;Flaxman et al., 2016;Tsfati & Nir, 2017;Rojo-Martínez et al., 2023;Torcal, 2023), no son tan frecuentes aquellos que estudian el nivel de uso de diferentes medios de forma integrada, asumiendo la condición híbrida del sistema mediático, y analizan según esta el grado de polarización”
From Política, uso de medios y polarización afectiva en España (2024) · cites this paper as Stroud, 2010
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“…proliferación de medios de comunicación de reducido tamaño, pero orientados a ni-chos ideológicos y sus efectos (Arceneaux, Johnson y Murphy, 2012; Stroud, 2010) son algunas de las vías exploradas en la li-teratura previa, especialmente orientada al caso estadounidense (Cuéllar-Rivero, 2024;…”
- Authors
- Stroud, N. J.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stroud, Natalie Jomini
- Venue
- Journal of Communication
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2010-08-19
- Volume
- 60
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 556-576
- ISSN
- 0021-9916 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2121451734
- Cited by
- 1,346
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 82 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 122 · 2023: 93 · 2022: 151 · 2021: 155 · 2020: 132 · 2019: 97 · 2018: 87 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 77 · 2015: 55 · 2014: 56 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 69.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Communication (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
- Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
- Keywords
- political polarization, media influence, political communication, media selection, causal direction, political attitudes over time, media influence on attitudes, media influence on behavior
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