Elite Cues, News Coverage, and Partisan Support for Compromise

Abstract

In accordance with self-categorization theory, this study predicts that because elite cues affect partisans' perceptions of group norms, news coverage of political gridlock should influence partisans' willingness to endorse compromise. Results of two experimental studies, where Republican and Democratic samples read a news story in which group leaders were either willing or unwilling to compromise, largely support our expectations. However, we also find evidence that willingness to compromise can depend on the specific issue context, as well as pre-existing attitudes. These results further our understanding of how media coverage affects the functioning of democracy in the United States.

Patterns of controversy and consensus in German, Canadian, and US online news on climate change

“…However, in the US case, it does not follow Downs (1972) or Habermas (2006) idealised models of a public discussion that moves from problem identification to finding a solution, since the observed patterns seem to reinforce political division, rather than solution-finding. There is increasing experimental evidence that political identity cues may be important triggers of motivated reasoning (Benegal and Scruggs, 2018; see also McLaughlin et al, 2016), which indicates that the focus on political actor's positions furthers existing polarisation concerning the issue, in particular in the US.…”

‘What they say peters down’: How non-profit leaders assess the trustworthiness of government – Elite discourse and distrust in post-conflict Northern Ireland

“…It is recognised that our non-partisan sample might be particularly averse to political confrontation and to value benevolence-based compromise, this might be different for partisans who identify strongly with particular political parties (e.g. see McLaughlin et al, 2017). Indeed, NPL expectations of government may be higher or lower than what we would find among the ‘average citizen’ or among other types of leaders (Bish and Becker, 2016).…”