TY - JOUR
T1 - Misperceptions in polarized politics
T2 - The role of knowledge, religiosity, and media
AU - Cacciatore, Michael A.
AU - Yeo, Sara K.
AU - Scheufele, Dietram A.
AU - Xenos, Michael A.
AU - Choi, Doo Hun
AU - Brossard, Dominique
AU - Becker, Amy B.
AU - Corley, Elizabeth
PY - 2014/7
Y1 - 2014/7
N2 - Many Americans hold distorted views of elected officials and, as our study shows, the blame is due partly to our ideological biases and partly to mass media. Analyzing a nationally representative online survey, we corroborate recent research that found that one in five Americans still believe president Barack Obama is a Muslim and that almost seven in ten mistakenly think Sarah Palin, and not Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey, was the first to say I can see Russia from my house. Although race, political ideology, and born-again or evangelical Christian status were the primary drivers of misperceptions about Obama's faith, media use had a more crucial role in predicting the more widespread misperception about Palin. Misattribution of the Fey quote to Palin was greatest among heavy viewers of traditional news media and late-night TV comedy, which is suggestive of the lamestream media effect often espoused by prominent Republican figures.
AB - Many Americans hold distorted views of elected officials and, as our study shows, the blame is due partly to our ideological biases and partly to mass media. Analyzing a nationally representative online survey, we corroborate recent research that found that one in five Americans still believe president Barack Obama is a Muslim and that almost seven in ten mistakenly think Sarah Palin, and not Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey, was the first to say I can see Russia from my house. Although race, political ideology, and born-again or evangelical Christian status were the primary drivers of misperceptions about Obama's faith, media use had a more crucial role in predicting the more widespread misperception about Palin. Misattribution of the Fey quote to Palin was greatest among heavy viewers of traditional news media and late-night TV comedy, which is suggestive of the lamestream media effect often espoused by prominent Republican figures.
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U2 - 10.1017/S1049096514000791
DO - 10.1017/S1049096514000791
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84900996154
SN - 1049-0965
VL - 47
SP - 654
EP - 661
JO - PS - Political Science and Politics
JF - PS - Political Science and Politics
IS - 3
ER -