Abstract
Recent studies have shown evidence of increasing levels of attitude polarization in the United States. This study adds to this line of inquiry by examining whether important structural changes to the media system in 1996, which included the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the introduction of Fox News, affected TV news’ contribution to affective polarization. Using the American National Election Studies (ANES) cumulative data file, we test the media’s contribution to affective polarization before and after 1996 using spline regression. Our results show an increase in affective polarization over time, with greater increases after 1996. In addition, we show that after 1996, TV news use contributes to increasing levels of affective polarization in the United States.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
