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Framing the 2004 Presidential Election: the role of media, political discussion, and opinion leaders

Sietman, Rebecca Michelle Border
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117641050

Abstract Details

2005, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Communication.
The purpose of this study was to examine the 2004 Presidential election, both the “top-down” and “bottom-up” processes, by integrating the research areas of media framing, social identity, political discussion, and opinion leadership. In addition to replicating prior research, this study extended these areas of research to consider the possible differential effects that these “top down” and “bottom up” processes may have had on political efficacy and mobilization based on partisan identity. I conducted a quantitative content analysis of media with some qualitative observations, a secondary analysis of the National Election Studies 2004 time-series data, and a field study of the volunteer opinion leaders for the political campaigns in the battleground state of Ohio. Examining the media content during the two months prior to the election, I found that the polarization frame was used quite frequently across two different types of media, newspapers and television. While the use of the polarization frame did not seem to vary over time during those two months, certain key words and phrases indicating the presence of the polarization frame were more prominent in news coverage. The campaign media at times portrayed the United States as consisting of blue states, red states, and battleground states; as a nation sharply divided; as a nation consisting of a polarized electorate, split 50/50; as a nation of clashing cultures; as a nation filled with bitter, angry people. The survey results indicate that attention to media coverage of the campaign, frequency of political discussion with family and friends, and opinion leadership are all significant predictors of political efficacy and mobilization. In addition to these main effects, the survey results suggest that the effects of media attention, political discussion, and contact with an opinion leader are sometimes moderated by partisan identity. Replicating prior work on the functional role of opinion leadership, opinion leaders of the 2004 presidential election tended to have higher levels of education, paid more attention to media coverage of the campaign, more frequently discussed politics with family and friends, and had higher levels of political participation. The field study results lend additional support to the importance of opinion leaders as well as political discussion in the “bottom up” processes of the 2004 election. Many of my observations suggest that contact with an opinion leader has a positive relationship with political efficacy and mobilization but that this relationship is often dependent on partisan identity. These opinion leaders were not only important in motivating people to vote and to participate politically, the opinion leaders themselves experienced an increased sense of political efficacy as a result of volunteering on behalf of the campaigns. In addition, my interactions with the volunteers suggest that opinion leaders more frequently discuss politics with others and that they may be more likely than others to discuss politics within heterogeneous networks of diverse political views.
Gerald Kosicki (Advisor)
214 p.
media framing; polarization frame; political discussion; opinion leadership; social identity; partisan identity

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sietman, R. M. B. (2005). Framing the 2004 Presidential Election: the role of media, political discussion, and opinion leaders [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117641050

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sietman, Rebecca. Framing the 2004 Presidential Election: the role of media, political discussion, and opinion leaders. 2005. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117641050.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sietman, Rebecca. "Framing the 2004 Presidential Election: the role of media, political discussion, and opinion leaders." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117641050

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.