MEDIA EXPOSURE AND POLITICAL DISCUSSION IN UNITED-STATES ELECTIONS

Media content and interpersonal discussion both affect mass political behavior. However, assessment of the relationship between media and di scussion is complicated by the difficulty in establishing the causal o rder of that relationship. This article addresses the question of caus ality by considering whether access to newspaper coverage affects the quantity of political discussion, and whether it influences discussant effects on the vote choice. A quasi-experimental approach is introduc ed to pursue these questions. Results indicate that media exposure fue ls political discussion, but that discussant effects on electoral choi ce are not influenced by the specific content of interpersonal discuss ion. Further, media exposure may discourage cue-based decision making and thus limit discussant effects on vote choice.