Document Type

Journal Article

Department/Unit

Department of Journalism

Title

Message, perception, and the Beijing olympics: Impact of differential media exposure on perceived opinion diversity

Language

English

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of media exposure on individuals' perception of opinion diversity and the psychological mechanisms underlying such effects. We compare the differential contributions of monopolistic with pluralistic media messages and test two conceptual models: The first delineates a mechanism of direct impact of media exposure on opinion perception; the second specifies a mechanism that relates to social projection effects. Using data from telephone interviews of a random sample of 595 Chinese citizens, we find that perceived opinion diversity is positively related to exposure to pluralistic media messages and negatively related to exposure to monopolistic media messages. Furthermore, opinion extremity is found to mediate such relationships. © The Author(s) 2011.

Keywords

perceived opinion diversity, pluralistic versus monopolistic media messages, social projection

Publication Date

2011

Source Publication Title

Communication Research

Volume

38

Issue

3

Start Page

422

End Page

445

Publisher

SAGE Publications

DOI

10.1177/0093650210384985

Link to Publisher's Edition

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093650210384985

ISSN (print)

00936502

ISSN (electronic)

15523810

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