Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2025
Volume: 17
Issue: 1
Pages: 337-68

Authors (2)

Sarah Schneider-Strawczynski (not in RePEc) Jérôme Valette (Centre d'études prospectives e...)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of media coverage on immigration attitudes. It combines data on immigration coverage in French television with individual panel data from 2013 to 2017 that records respondents' preferred television channel and attitudes toward immigration. The analysis focuses on within-individual variations over time, addressing ideological self-selection into channels. We find that increased coverage of immigration polarizes attitudes, with initially moderate individuals becoming more likely to report extremely positive and negative attitudes. This polarization is mainly driven by an increase in the salience of immigration, which reactivates pre-existing prejudices, rather than persuasion effects from biased news consumption.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:337-68
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29