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Internet Effects in Times of Political Crisis

Baccini, Leonardo, Sudulich, Laura, Wall, Matthew (2016) Internet Effects in Times of Political Crisis. Public Opinion Quarterly, 80 (2). pp. 411-436. ISSN 0033-362X. (doi:10.1093/poq/nfv055) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:55505)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfv055

Abstract

This paper evaluates the influence of online news consumption on attitudes toward the European Union in a context of protracted economic crisis. Using data from the 2011 Irish National Election Study, we combine location-specific information on broadband availability with respondent geo-location data, which facilitates causal inference about the effects of online news consumption via instrumental variable models. Results show that Irish citizens who source political information online are more prone to blame the EU for the poor state of the economy than those who do not. There is evidence of preference reinforcement among those with negative predispositions toward the EU, but not among pro-EU citizens. We complement this analysis with a study of voting behavior in the European Fiscal Compact Referendum, employing a similar methodological approach. The results from this second survey confirm the anti-EU influence of online news consumption among Irish citizens, although evidence suggests a pro-EU effect among voters who browsed the website of the politically neutral Irish Referendum Commission. Our paper contributes to the literature on public opinion, the EU, and political attitudes in times of crisis.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1093/poq/nfv055
Subjects: J Political Science
J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
J Political Science > JN Political institutions and public administration (Europe)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations
Depositing User: Laura Sudulich
Date Deposited: 18 May 2016 10:28 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 12:20 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/55505 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Sudulich, Laura.

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