Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes

Sarah Schneider-Strawczynski and Jérôme Valette
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Sarah Schneider-Strawczynski: University of Exeter Business School - University of Exeter, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement

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Abstract: This paper investigates the effect of media coverage on immigration attitudes. It combines data on immigration coverage in French television with individual panel data from 2013 to 2017 that records respondents' preferred television channel and attitudes toward immigration. The analysis focuses on within-individual variations over time, addressing ideological self-selection into channels. We find that increased coverage of immigration polarizes attitudes, with initially moderate individuals becoming more likely to report extremely positive and negative attitudes. This polarization is mainly driven by an increase in the salience of immigration, which reactivates pre-existing prejudices, rather than persuasion effects from biased news consumption.

Date: 2025-01
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Published in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2025, 17 (1), pp.337-368. ⟨10.1257/app.20230300⟩

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Related works:
Journal Article: Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes (2025)
Working Paper: Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes (2025)
Working Paper: Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes (2024)
Working Paper: Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes (2023)
Working Paper: Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes (2021)
Working Paper: Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes (2021)
Working Paper: Media Coverage of Immigration and the Polarization of Attitudes (2021)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-04954719

DOI: 10.1257/app.20230300

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