
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
A Turn Toward Field Studies A Turn Toward Field Studies
-
The Size of Communication Effects The Size of Communication Effects
-
The Political Consequences of Political Communication The Political Consequences of Political Communication
-
The Duration of Communication Effects The Duration of Communication Effects
-
What Part of the Message Matters? What Part of the Message Matters?
-
Changing Sides or Changing Minds? Changing Sides or Changing Minds?
-
The Power of Political Communication The Power of Political Communication
-
Notes Notes
-
References References
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5 The Power of Political Communication
Get accessMichael Tesler (Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2011) is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Brown University. His research interests include public opinion, voting behavior, political psychology, and racial politics. He is co-author of Obama's Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post-Racial America (2010: University of Chicago Press), and principal investigator of several academic surveys.
John Zaller (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1984) is a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion and co-author of The Party Decides: Presidential Nominations Before and After Reform.
-
Published:01 May 2014
Cite
Abstract
Most scholars agree that the effects of mass communication are more than minimal. We find, however, that most communication effects are short-lived, involve mainly weakly held attitudes, and produce no political consequences. Party cues conveyed in mass communication can change attitudes, but usually weakly held ones; when individuals hold strong views, they often change parties rather than change attitudes. Non-partisan communication may not durably change any attitudes, even weakly held ones. These conclusions, derived from field studies rather than laboratory experiments, raise the old minimal effects question in a new form: How politically important are the effects of mass communication? Our answer is that it depends on context. Short-term communication effects can be quite consequential if they occur close to a relevant political decision, such as an election or congressional vote. Communication that continues over a long period of time, such as messages carrying the value of racial equality, may also be important. Short-term or episodic communication that aims to produce a generally informed citizenry, independent of any political decision, may have little importance.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 17 |
November 2022 | 30 |
December 2022 | 26 |
January 2023 | 12 |
February 2023 | 23 |
March 2023 | 28 |
April 2023 | 25 |
May 2023 | 23 |
June 2023 | 13 |
July 2023 | 17 |
August 2023 | 22 |
September 2023 | 37 |
October 2023 | 106 |
November 2023 | 32 |
December 2023 | 39 |
January 2024 | 15 |
February 2024 | 30 |
March 2024 | 25 |
April 2024 | 30 |
May 2024 | 17 |
June 2024 | 16 |
July 2024 | 10 |
August 2024 | 29 |
September 2024 | 28 |
October 2024 | 104 |
November 2024 | 43 |
December 2024 | 52 |
January 2025 | 30 |
February 2025 | 20 |
March 2025 | 31 |
April 2025 | 29 |
May 2025 | 7 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.