15:00 - 16:40
P9-S233
Room: 1A.02
Chair/s:
Mark Copelovitch
Discussant/s:
Zsófia S. Ignácz
Have You Heard About the Terrible Economy? Media Use, Political Networks, & Public Opinion in the United States and Germany
P9-S233-4
Presented by: Mark Copelovitch, Michael Wagner
Mark CopelovitchMichael Wagner
University of Wisconsin - Madison
We seek to understand how the “information economy” in which individuals participate – through their media consumption and political talking partners – influences their views on the state of the “real economy” (inflation, unemployment, and recessions). Through nationally-representative surveys of US and Germany residents, administered through YouGov in August 2022 and October/November 2024, we gather data on the frequency and intensity of individuals’ usage of a wide range of print, television, radio, and online news sources, as well as information on the identity and partisanship of the individuals with whom respondents discuss politics. Using these data, we test the hypothesis that individuals who consume more conservative media are more likely to view inflation and unemployment as serious problems and more likely to be pessimistic about the current and future direction of the economy. We also test the degree to which individuals’ political talking networks and partisan differences between respondents and their talking partners shape their views about these economic outcomes. Finally, through experimental treatments embedded in our surveys, we explore the degree to which providing partisan cues and global context about the state of the US/German economy shapes individuals’ views of inflation, unemployment, and recessions. Our analysis strongly suggests that the “information economy” in which individuals participate plays a crucial role in shaping their attitudes about the state of the real economy.
Keywords: Inflation, public opinion, political economy, media, unemployment

Sponsors