News vs. Entertainment: How Increasing Media Choice Widens Gaps in Political Knowledge and Turnout

TLDR

Although cable TV and the Internet have greatly expanded political information, overall political knowledge and turnout have remained unchanged, with news‑engaged individuals becoming more knowledgeable and likely to vote, while entertainment‑preferring individuals disengage from politics. The study argues that greater media choice makes it easier for people to find their preferred content, explaining the paradox. The author measures media content preference and incorporates it into a representative survey of 2,358 U.S. residents.

Abstract

Despite dramatic increases in available political information through cable television and the Internet, political knowledge and turnout have not changed noticeably. To explain this seeming paradox, I argue that greater media choice makes it easier for people to find their preferred content. People who like news take advantage of abundant political information to become more knowledgeable and more likely to turn out. In contrast, people who prefer entertainment abandon the news and become less likely to learn about politics and go to the polls. To test this proposition, I develop a measure of people's media content preference and include it in a representative opinion survey of 2,358 U.S. residents. Results show that content preference indeed becomes a better predictor of political knowledge and turnout as media choice increases. Cable TV and the Internet increase gaps in knowledge and turnout between people who prefer news and people who prefer entertainment.