Faculty Sponsor: Maryam Gooyabadi
Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/99146444850
Kaitlyn Schaffner
Kaitlyn is a sophomore English and Government major at Wesleyan.
Abstract: In response to a time in American politics of increased polarization along party lines and an increasing widespread use of television as a means to receive news, this study examines the effect of consumption of politically partisan cable news talk shows on respondents trust in the government directly in advance of the 2024 presidential election. Variables measuring trust in government were based on respondents answers to questions about whether they trusted in the government and the courts to do what is right as well as perceived level of corruption in government. Consumption of different politically partisan types of cable news shows along the political spectrum were measured by aggregating different shows into two groups, either liberal or conservative based on existing research in exhibited political biases. The results of the study show an association that indicates a significance in people who reported watching liberal leaning cable news talk shows and an increased reporting of trust in the government. This has implications in the larger study of the way in which political media talk shows effect perceptions of governmental legitimacy, specifically towards strategic political ends.
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