What is political and what is not? Illustrating how the salience of abortion in the media shapes public perceptions about its political nature

Abstract

What is political and what is not? While conventional wisdom in public opinion research assumes a shared understanding of political matters, recent studies have challenged this assumption. In this article, we theorize and analyze how the prominence of abortion in the media affects whether or not citizens consider abortion a political issue. Leveraging the unexpected surge in media attention to abortion regulation in Spanish media during our survey fieldwork we implement an Unexpected Event During Survey Design. Our findings reveal that respondents interviewed after abortion gained salience in the media were 10% points more likely to perceive abortion as a political matter.