| Abstrakt: |
With innumerable media outlets from which to choose, partisan selective exposure, the selection of media outlets that match one's political leanings, is widely possible. The consequences of this behavior, however, require additional investigation. Using data gathered from the 2004 National Annenberg Election Survey, this study investigates the relationship between partisan selective exposure and political polarization. People's newspaper, talk radio, cable television news, and internet use are coded in order to construct measures of partisan selective exposure. Cross-sectional results show strong evidence that partisan selective exposure is related to holding polarized attitudes toward the candidates for the 2004 United States presidential election. Panel analyses and time series techniques are used to evaluate the causal direction of the relationship. Evidence consistently documents that partisan selective exposure leads to polarization. This study contributes to our understanding of the limitations of equating selective exposure with a limited effects tradition. Further, normative implications - both positive and negative - are discussed. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
