Conservative bias, selective political exposure and truly false consensus beliefs in political communication about the 'refugee crisis' in Germany.

ABSTRACT: The rise of digital media has increased the opportunities for individuals to self-select political content online. This development has stimulated empirical research on how people select political information, especially when political beliefs are at stake. In the present paper, we tested a series of theory-derived assumptions about antecedents and consequences of selective exposure to confirmative political information and opinions in the digital arena. We conducted an online survey with German Internet users (N = 897, April 2016) and assessed political attitudes, media use and general beliefs in the context of the so-called "migration crisis". 28% of the participants in our sample reported exposure to a confirmative information environment. They are more likely to hear or read about poli

SUBMITTER: Burghartswieser D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8568288 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature