The Effects of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Selective Exposure: Evidence from 17 Countries

Alon Zoizner (1) , Tamir Sheafer (2) , Laia Castro (3) , Toril Aalberg (4) , Ana S Cardenal (5) , Nicoleta Corbu (6) , Claes de Vreese (7) , Frank Esser (3) , David Nicolas Hopmann (8) , Karolina Koc-Michalska (9) , Jörg Matthes (10) , Christian Schemer (11) , Sergio Splendore (12) , James Stanyer (13) , Agnieszka Stępińska (14) , Václav Štětka (13) , Jesper Strömbäck (15) , Yannis Theocharis (16) , Peter van Aelst (17)

1 University of Haifa [Haifa]
2 HUJ - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
3 UZH - Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich
4 NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
5 University of Barcelona
6 SNSPA - National University of Political Studies and Public Administration Bucharest, Romania
7 UvA - University of Amsterdam [Amsterdam] = Universiteit van Amsterdam
8 SDU - University of Southern Denmark
9 Audencia Business School
10 University of Vienna [Vienna]
11 JGU - Johannes Gutenberg - Universität Mainz = Johannes Gutenberg University
12 UNIMI - Università degli Studi di Milano = University of Milan
13 Loughborough University
14 UAM - Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
15 GU - Göteborgs Universitet = University of Gothenburg
16 TUM - Technische Universität Munchen - Technical University Munich - Université Technique de Munich
17 UA - University of Antwerp

A widely believed claim is that citizens tend to selectively expose themselves to like-minded information. However, when individuals find the information useful, they are more likely to consume crosscutting sources. While crises such as terror attacks and pandemics can enhance the utility of cross-cutting information, empirical evidence on the role of real-world external threats in selective exposure is scarce. This paper examines the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to test the extent to which citizens were exposed to information from crosscutting sources on traditional and social media after the outbreak. Utilizing a two-wave panel survey among 14,218 participants across 17 countries – conducted before and after the initial outbreak – we show that citizens concerned about COVID-19 were more exposed to cross-cutting information on traditional and social media. The positive relationship with cross-cutting exposure to traditional news was stronger in countries where governments adopted less stringent policy responses, and in countries with greater pandemic severity and weaker democratic institutions. Our comparative approach thus sheds light on the social and political contexts in which cross-cutting exposure can occur.

Domaines: Science politique

Alon Zoizner, Tamir Sheafer, Laia Castro, Toril Aalberg, Ana S Cardenal, et al.. The Effects of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Selective Exposure: Evidence from 17 Countries. Political Communication, 2022, 39 (5), pp.674 - 696. ⟨10.1080/10584609.2022.2107745⟩. ⟨hal-03963717⟩