Doctoral Dissertation Research in DRMS: News Media and Economic Accountability: Economic Risk Frames, Perceived Distance and Public Opinion

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

During economic downturns, people tend to hold the party in power responsible and vote accordingly. On the other hand, when people think their own finances are worsening, they rarely hold government accountable. Why do voters often put more emphasis on the national economy compared to their own pocketbooks? Researchers have accounted for this largely by focusing on the characteristics of individuals. While research has also paid some attention to the role that the news media can play in individuals? political and economic evaluations, less is known about the characteristics of economic news stories or how these news stories might affect the emphasis people place on the national economy or their own pocketbooks when making political evaluations. This research examines this phenomenon more closely by incorporating theories about how issue interpretations and opinions can be affected by message characteristics (i.e., news framing and impersonal influence) as well as theories about how distant people feel they are from an issue or an event (i.e., construal level theory). Methods include an analysis of the content of television and newspaper stories about the economy, and two national survey-based experiments conducted online. The findings are useful to the journalism community by facilitating a more constructive role in democratic accountability. Understanding framing effects can show how news stories can be created to affect political accountability responsibly in relation to economic performance.