Does mass media influence political participation in Lithuania?

Abstract

According to the normative theory of democracy, information disseminated by mass media ought to provide a minimal level of political knowledge. The focus of this paper is the impact of the use of traditional mass media and the Internet on political participation. Drawing on the surveys conducted in Lithuania in 2005 and 2010, the paper concludes that the Internet has not caused a radical change in the use of traditional mass media. Political knowledge in Lithuania depends on the level of public interest in criminals, gender and education. Political knowledge is an intervening variable between frequency of listening to the radio programmes and participation in elections as well as being charitable, i. e. donating money.