Media priming and immigration attitudes: Moderating effects of political ideology

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study investigates whether the amount of media coverage about immigration influences individuals’ attitudes toward this topic. It was expected that such media priming effects would be dependent on preexisting partisan attitudes. Accordingly, it was hypothesized that media priming effects might be observable exclusively in individuals who identify with either the right or left of the political spectrum. The hypothesis is based on the assumption that these individuals associate specific ideas with the topic of immigration, which they recall from memory when confronted directly or indirectly with related media content. Conversely, no priming effect was expected for individuals who identify as centrists. The empirical analysis utilized survey data, contextualizing statistical country data, and data from content analyses of national newspapers collected in six Western European countries between 2002 and 2018. Contrary to expectations, the results showed that higher media coverage is generally associated with positive immigration attitudes across all political orientations. However, this relationship is notably weaker for those on the political right and just slightly stronger for those on the political left. These findings show patterns that are consistent with media priming theory, which posits that media can activate preexisting beliefs.