PARTISAN MEDIA EXPOSURE AND AFFECTIVE POLARIZATION Implications of Pro-and Counter-Attitudinal Information Exposure for Affective Polarization

The American electorate is characterized by political polarization, and especially by increasingly negative affective responses toward opposing party members. To what extent might this be attributed to exposure to information reinforcing individuals’ partisan identity versus information representing the views of partisan opponents? And is this a uniquely American phenomenon? This study uses survey data collected immediately following recent national elections in two countries, the U.S. and Israel, to address these questions. Results across the two nations are generally consistent, and indicate that proand counter-attitudinal information exposure have distinct influences on perceptions of and attitudes towards members of opposed parties despite numerous cross-cultural differences. We discuss implications in light of recent evidence about partisans’ tendency to engage in selective exposure.

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