Does the Media Matter? A Field Experiment Measuring the Effect of Newspapers on Voting Behavior and Political Opinions

被引：268
|
作者：
Gerber, Alan S. [1 ,2 ]
Karlan, Dean [3 ,4 ]
Bergan, Daniel [5 ]
机构：
[1] Yale Univ, Dept Polit Sci, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
[2] Natl Bur Econ Res, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
[3] Yale Univ, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
[4] MIT, Jameel Poverty Act Lab, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
[5] Michigan State Univ, Dept Commun, E Lansing, MI 48824 USA
来源：
AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS | 2009年 / 1卷 / 02期
关键词：
MASS-COMMUNICATION; VOTER; INFORMATION; TELEVISION; DYNAMICS; EXPOSURE; MARKET; NEWS; BIAS;
D O I：
10.1257/app.1.2.35
中图分类号：
F [经济];
学科分类号：
02 ;
摘要：
We conducted a field experiment to measure the effect of exposure to newspapers on political behavior and opinion. Before the 2005 Virginia gubernatorial election, we randomly assigned individuals to a Washington Post free subscription treatment, a Washington Times free subscription treatment, or a control treatment. We find no effect of either paper on political knowledge, stated opinions, or turnout in post-election survey and voter data. However, receiving either paper led to more support for the Democratic candidate, suggesting that media slant mattered less in this case than media exposure. Some evidence from voting records also suggests that receiving either paper led to increased 2006 voter turnout. (JEL D72, L82)
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页码：35 / 52
页数：18
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