The Persuasive Press Inference

TLDR

Recent theoretical models propose that mass media can shape an individual's perception of what others think, beyond influencing personal opinions. The study investigates how mass media influence perceived public opinion, proposing the persuasive press inference model. The authors tested the persuasive press inference model by measuring participants' responses to news stories on two current issues presented with favorable or unfavorable slants. The slant of news articles significantly affected participants' judgments of public opinion, supporting the hypothesis that people estimate public opinion from their reading of press coverage.

Abstract

Recent theoretical models propose that mass media, apart from any influence they may have on personal opinions, can also influence an individual's perceptions of what other people are thinking. But how this influence on perceived public opinion might take place remains a question. One answer proposed here—the persuasive press inference—suggests that people infer public opinion from their perceptions of the content of media coverage and their assumptions of the persuasive impact of that coverage on others. Data were gathered in an experiment measuring participant responses to news stories on two current issues, each presented with either a favorable or unfavorable slant. The slant of both news articles had a significant effect on participants' judgments of public opinion on those issues, even when adjusted for the effect of projected personal opinion. Findings supported the hypothesis that people appear to estimate public opinion based on their own reading of press coverage—an indirect effect of mass media that can have significant consequence.