HOW MEDIA USE AND RELIANCE AFFECT KNOWLEDGE LEVEL

TLDR

Studies of the relation between media consumption and political knowledge have produced mixed results. This study examined the effects of reliance, general media use, and focused media use on knowledge of issues in a state tax referendum. Focused media use was defined as reading or viewing news about state and local politics, and the study compared these three consumption variables to referendum knowledge. Reliance on TV news was negatively correlated with knowledge, newspaper reliance showed no correlation, focused TV news use had a stronger positive correlation than general TV use, and both focused and general newspaper use were strongly correlated with knowledge.

Abstract

Results of studies of the relation between media consumption and political knowledge are mixed. This study looked at three media consumption variables—reliance, media use, and focused media use—and their relation to knowledge of issues in a state tax referendum. Focused media use was defined as reading or viewing of news about state and local politics. Reliance on TV news correlated negatively with knowledge of issues. Reliance on newspapers did not correlate at all. Focused TV news use correlated more highly with knowledge of issues than did general TV news use. For newspapers, both focused and general use had strong correlations with knowledge measures.