Media Framing and the Dynamics of Racial Policy Preferences Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Why are there liberal and conservative eras in Americans' policy preferences about race? In answering this question, I first develop a time-series measure of aggregate racial policy preferences by compiling multiple indicators of racial policy preferences into a single composite measure. Next, I propose a new model in which shifts in the tenor of media coverage of race - focusing on the core values of egalitarianism and individualism at different times - leads the public to prefer more or less active government policies on race. I test the model using data from Newsweek magazine and include appropriate controls for potentially confounding factors, such as generational replacement, policy mood, feedback from the policy process, and economic sentiment.

published proceedings

  • American Journal of Political Science

author list (cited authors)

  • Kellstedt, P. M.

citation count

  • 98

complete list of authors

  • Kellstedt, Paul M

publication date

  • April 2000

publisher