La conexión entre las percepciones de sesgos mediáticos y su influencia en la polarización afectiva: un examen en Brasil, México y Estados Unidos

Chau Tong; Haley Winckler; Hernando Rojas

doi:10.29105/rcp3-1

Authors

Chau Tong University of Wisconsin-Madison https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6609-9889
Haley Winckler University of Wisconsin-Madison https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7408-8266
Hernando Rojas University of Wisconsin-Madison https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0012-4041

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29105/rcp3-1

Keywords:

Brazil, Mexico, United States, public opinion, media effects, political perceptions, political attitudes, affective polarization, hostile media perception, hostile media effect, perceived media influence, third-person effect

Abstract

This study examines two types of news media-related perceptions (hostile media perceptions and third-person perceptions) and the relationship with affective polarization, or the increased partisan hostility between opposing members in Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Operationalizing affective polarization as the estimated discrepancy between members of one’s own political party and those of others on certain personality traits, including intelligence, caring about the welfare of humanity, being informed, and being tolerant, we found strong and statistically significant positive correlations between each type of perception and affective polarization. In other words, thinking that the media is biased against one’s own side and thinking that partisans on the other side are more susceptible to biased media influence respectively and directly associates with how one feels about adversarial partisans. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the prominence of perceptions of media bias and affective polarization in countries with different levels of media professionalism and party polarization.

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Author Biographies

Chau Tong, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Chau Tong (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. Her research interests are broadly in political communication, communication technologies and public opinion.

Haley Winckler, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Haley Winckler (BA, University of Wisconsin-Madison) graduated from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a degree in strategic communication. She works in public affairs, contributing to digital and advertising campaigns for a variety of clients across multiple industries.

Hernando Rojas, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Hernando Rojas (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) is the Centennial professor and Helen Firstbrook Franklin Chair at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin – Madison. His research focuses on communication and democratic engagement.

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