TY - JOUR
T1 - The Effects of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Selective Exposure
T2 - Evidence from 17 Countries
AU - Zoizner, Alon
AU - Sheafer, Tamir
AU - Castro, Laia
AU - Aalberg, Toril
AU - Cardenal, Ana S.
AU - Corbu, Nicoleta
AU - de Vreese, Claes
AU - Esser, Frank
AU - Hopmann, David Nicolas
AU - Koc-Michalska, Karolina
AU - Matthes, Jörg
AU - Schemer, Christian
AU - Splendore, Sergio
AU - Stanyer, James
AU - Stępińska, Agnieszka
AU - Štětka, Václav
AU - Strömbäck, Jesper
AU - Theocharis, Yannis
AU - Van Aelst, Peter
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - A widely believed claim is that citizens tend to selectively expose themselves to like-minded information. However, when individuals find the information useful, they are more likely to consume cross-cutting sources. While crises such as terror attacks and pandemics can enhance the utility of cross-cutting information, empirical evidence on the role of real-world external threats in selective exposure is scarce. This paper examines the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to test the extent to which citizens were exposed to information from cross-cutting sources on traditional and social media after the outbreak. Utilizing a two-wave panel survey among 14,218 participants across 17 countries–conducted before and after the initial outbreak–we show that citizens concerned about COVID-19 were more exposed to cross-cutting information on traditional and social media. The positive relationship with cross-cutting exposure to traditional news was stronger in countries where governments adopted less stringent policy responses, and in countries with greater pandemic severity and weaker democratic institutions. Our comparative approach thus sheds light on the social and political contexts in which cross-cutting exposure can occur.
AB - A widely believed claim is that citizens tend to selectively expose themselves to like-minded information. However, when individuals find the information useful, they are more likely to consume cross-cutting sources. While crises such as terror attacks and pandemics can enhance the utility of cross-cutting information, empirical evidence on the role of real-world external threats in selective exposure is scarce. This paper examines the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to test the extent to which citizens were exposed to information from cross-cutting sources on traditional and social media after the outbreak. Utilizing a two-wave panel survey among 14,218 participants across 17 countries–conducted before and after the initial outbreak–we show that citizens concerned about COVID-19 were more exposed to cross-cutting information on traditional and social media. The positive relationship with cross-cutting exposure to traditional news was stronger in countries where governments adopted less stringent policy responses, and in countries with greater pandemic severity and weaker democratic institutions. Our comparative approach thus sheds light on the social and political contexts in which cross-cutting exposure can occur.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Selective exposure
KW - comparative
KW - cross-cutting exposure
KW - information utility
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137656453&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10584609.2022.2107745
DO - 10.1080/10584609.2022.2107745
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85137656453
SN - 1058-4609
VL - 39
SP - 674
EP - 696
JO - Political Communication
JF - Political Communication
IS - 5
ER -