Abstract
The idea of interpersonal discussions among citizens being the “soul of democracy” has been treatedalmost as a truism in recent research on media, interpersonal communication, and democratic citizenship. Without a doubt, there is strong evidence to support the notion that interpersonal discussion of politics is a key antecedent of political participation. This study proposes that the relationships between hard news media use, interpersonal discussion of politics, and participatory behavior are far more complex than previously assumed. Specifically, it is expected that hard news media use has an overall positive main effect on political participation. This main effect, however, cloaks significantly different effects for people who talk to others about politics rather frequently and those who do not. National survey data support the differential gains model for newspaper andtelevision hardnews use. This article explores explanations for this phenomenon and implications for future research and policy.
Keywords
Interpersonal communicationPoliticsMass mediaNewspaperCitizen journalismDemocracyInterpersonal influenceSocial psychologyAntecedent (behavioral psychology)Political communicationSociologyDifferential (mechanical device)Media useSurvey data collectionPsychologyPublic relationsPolitical scienceMedia studiesLaw
Related Publications
Who Gets the News? Alternative Measures of News Reception and Their Implications for Research
This article investigates patterns in audience reception of 16 news stories that received prominent media coverage in the summer and fall of 1989. Using a national sample of Ame...
Measure for Measure: An Experimental Test of Online Political Media Exposure
Self-reported measures of media exposure are plagued with error and questions about validity. Since they are essential to studying media effects, a substantial literature has ex...
Publication Info
- Year
- 2002
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 46-65
- Citations
- 288
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
288
OpenAlex
Cite This
Dietram A. Scheufele
(2002).
Examining Differential Gains from Mass Media and their Implications for Participatory Behavior.
Communication Research
, 29
(1)
, 46-65.
https://doi.org/10.1177/009365020202900103
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1177/009365020202900103