Occupational position and consumption of news: A research note

Abstract

Abstract This study explored in what way and to what extent people's occupational position corresponds with the consumption of news and the exposure to political content offered by the traditional mass media TV, radio, and newspaper, using survey data (N = 825). The influence of occupational position in general and perceived amount of public social capital (or: social network) on especially consumption of news as well as the exposure to political media content, was evident. Findings are in line with the central assumptions on ‘audience activity’ of audience-centered models in communication research in general and the ‘media use as social action’ approach especially (cf. Renckstorf and Wester, 2001, 2004). The subjectively perceived social context, indicated by occupational position as well as the subjectively held structure of relevancies is a central predictor of media use.