Media and Political Polarization

TLDR

Recent media outlets have amplified partisan messaging within a largely centrist news landscape, yet evidence for a causal effect on broad political attitudes remains mixed and may be confined to a small, highly engaged segment. The study investigates whether the rise of partisan media contributes to political polarization and influences Americans to favor partisan policies and candidates. The authors argue that increased media choices reduce the presence of less partisan voters, intensifying election partisanship, though measurement challenges hinder research on selective exposure. The study finds no conclusive evidence that partisan media increase partisanship among ordinary Americans.

Abstract

This article examines if the emergence of more partisan media has contributed to political polarization and led Americans to support more partisan policies and candidates. Congress and some newer media outlets have added more partisan messages to a continuing supply of mostly centrist news. Although political attitudes of most Americans have remained fairly moderate, evidence points to some polarization among the politically involved. Proliferation of media choices lowered the share of less interested, less partisan voters and thereby made elections more partisan. But evidence for a causal link between more partisan messages and changing attitudes or behaviors is mixed at best. Measurement problems hold back research on partisan selective exposure and its consequences. Ideologically one-sided news exposure may be largely confined to a small, but highly involved and influential, segment of the population. There is no firm evidence that partisan media are making ordinary Americans more partisan.