Presumed Influence and Political Behavior: Extending the Menu of Behavioral Outcomes

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Presumed Influence and Political Behavior
Extending the Menu of Behavioral Outcomes

• Patricia Moy
• Department of Communication
• University of Washington

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• Significance
• Data
• Additional questions

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Issue-Based Conversation
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Issue-Based Conversation

• Considerable influence on ones decision-making
  behaviors

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Issue-Based Conversation

• Considerable influence on ones decision-making
  behaviors
• Increase knowledge of issues

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Issue-Based Conversation

• Considerable influence on ones decision-making
  behaviors
• Increase knowledge of issues
• Exchange and enlarge perspectives

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Issue-Based Conversation

• Considerable influence on ones decision-making
  behaviors
• Increase knowledge of issues
• Exchange and enlarge perspectives
• Linked to other forms of political behavior

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Data Set 1 Talk as Outcome

• Telephone survey of 1,249 parents
• Fieldwork November 2001
• Sponsors Kaiser Family Foundation and
  Nickelodeon
• Items talking, initiating conversation, and
  frequency of talk regarding tough issues

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Gun/weapon at school Teasing/bullying at
school Alcohol or drugs Puberty HIV/AID
S Birds/bees Ready to have
boy/girlfriend When ready to have sex Handling
pressure about sex Birth control Diversity
(culture, religion, race) What it means to be gay
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Presumed influence item How much influence do
you think ____ has on how your child and other
kids his/ her age think about these issues?
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Ever talk? Alcohol or drugs 94.2 Diversity
(culture, religion, race) 86.2 Teasing/bullying
at school 77.2 Gun/weapon at school 68.7 Pubert
y 66.1 Birds/bees 61.5 HIV/AIDS 56.9 Wha
t it means to be gay 54.9 Handling pressure
about sex 55.6 When ready to have
sex 50.1 Ready to have boy/girlfriend 43.2 Birth
control 34.5
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Ever talk? Regularly? Alcohol or
drugs 94.2 60.8 Diversity (culture, religion,
race) 86.2 60.5 Teasing/bullying at
school 77.2 51.4 Gun/weapon at
school 68.7 32.9 Puberty 66.1 51.4 Birds/b
ees 61.5 33.8 HIV/AIDS 56.9 29.2 What it
means to be gay 54.9 25.6 Handling pressure
about sex 55.6 51.9 When ready to have
sex 50.1 43.9 Ready to have boy/girlfriend 43.2
45.6 Birth control 34.5 44.9
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Conversation initiated by Self TV/news
story Alcohol or drugs 65.1 3.2 Diversity
(culture, religion, race) 53.1
3.6 Teasing/bullying at school 31.9
.5 Gun/weapon at school 56.3 14.3 Puberty 5
7.4 .4 Birds/bees 47.1
.6 HIV/AIDS 50.8 9.4 What it means to be
gay 32.3 7.5 Handling pressure about
sex 83.6 1.7 When ready to have sex 75.6
1.7 Ready to have boy/girlfriend 60.3
.7 Birth control 68.5 3.9
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Predicting Media Influence

• Television movies
• No parent or child-related demographic
  antecedents

• World Wide Web
• Mothers
• Those with sons

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Predicting Issue-Based Talk

• Perceived media influences associated with
  initiating issue-based conversations

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Predicting Issue-Based Talk

• Perceived media influences associated with
  initiating issue-based conversations
• TV/movie influences on children ? talking about
  teasing and bullying in school
• WWW influences on children ? talking about when
  one is ready to have a boyfriend/girlfriend

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Predicting Issue-Based Talk

• Perceived media influences associated with
  initiating issue-based conversations
• TV/movie influences on children ? talking about
  teasing and bullying in school
• WWW influences on children ? talking about when
  one is ready to have a boyfriend/girlfriend
• Perceived influences had no bearing on frequency
  of talk

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Issues to Explore

• Nonsingularity of TV/movies and the Internet
• Adapting third-person effects / presumed media
  effects research to particular messages on the
  Internet
• Effects on children as non-passive consumers of
  media messages
• Implications for campaign and news construction

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Data Set 2 Talk as Antecedent?

• Self-administered survey of 267 deliberative
  forum participants in Washington, DC
• Fieldwork November 2003
• Sponsor AmericaSpeaks
• Items media use, political interest, efficacy,
  views on local issues, perceptions of impact of
  media coverage of forum

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Who Sees (Positive) Effects of Media Coverage of
Forum on Policy-makers?

• Less affluent and politically active
• Professed lower levels of political knowledge
• Paid less attention to local affairs and
  editorial content
• More interested in human interest stories
• Have higher levels of social trust and external
  efficacy
• Generally tend to agree with others

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Greater (Positive) Impact on Self Predicted by

• More attention to national and international news
• Trust in government
• Internal and external efficacy
• Heterogeneity in discussion group members
• Higher levels of opinion expression
• Perceptions of more group members contributing
  substantially to the discussion

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Issues to Explore

• Role of trust political trust, social trust,
  trust in media?
• Interactive effects of media use and issue-based
  talk?
• Process of effects?