EFFECTS OF ATTENTION TO CAMPAIGN COVERAGE ON POLITICAL TRUST

This study examines whether or not to attention to campaign news influ ences political trust. It also explores whether political trust predic ts attention to campaign news, and whether the mechanism of influence between attention to campaign news and political trust differs across educational levels. Political trust was operationalized as trust in go vernment. The 1992 American National Election Survey data were used. R esults of two-stage least squares analysis show that attention to tele vision campaign coverage reduced trust in government, while a low leve l of trust in government increased attention to newspaper campaign cov erage. More importantly, the mechanism of influence between political trust and attention to campaign coverage differed across educational l evels. Among the less educated, attention to campaign coverage on tele vision led to lower levels of trust. Among the more educated, a low le vel of trust in government increased attention to campaign coverage. T he findings also indicate that the types of media (television vs newsp apers) matter when it comes to media effects on political trust. Impli cations of findings on the relationships between the concepts of polit ical trust, vigilant skepticism, education, and media use are discusse d.