The dynamics of political interest and news media consumption: A longitudinal perspective

Jesper Strömbäck, Monika Djerf-Pierre, Adam Shehata

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

216 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigates whether the impact of political interest - a key motivational factor behind news consumption - on various forms of news consumption has increased over time. The analysis is based on a unique large-scale representative annual survey conducted in Sweden over the years 1986-2010, enabling a comprehensive analysis of citizens' total and specific news consumption across multiple channels and platforms. Results show that news consumption has become more polarized between news-seekers and news-avoiders over time, and that political interest has become a more important determinant of news consumption in today's high-choice media environment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)414-435
Number of pages22
JournalInternational Journal of Public Opinion Research
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2013
Externally publishedYes

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