Television and Voter Turnout*

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ID: 305191
2006
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Abstract
I use variation across markets in the timing of television's introduction to identify its impact on voter turnout. The estimated effect is significantly negative, accounting for between a quarter and a half of the total decline in turnout since the 1950s. I argue that substitution away from other media with more political coverage provides a plausible mechanism linking television to voting. As evidence for this, I show that the entry of television in a market coincided with sharp drops in consumption of newspapers and radio, and in political knowledge as measured by election surveys. I also show that both the information and turnout effects were largest in off-year congressional elections, which receive extensive coverage in newspapers but little or no coverage on television.
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openalex_W2133689495 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Matthew Gentzkow
Journal the quarterly journal of economics
Year 2006
DOI
10.1162/qjec.121.3.931
URL
https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.121.3.931
Keywords Keywords not found

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