Media Use and Effects on Trust in Politicians, Parties and Democracy Politicians, Parties and Democracy Dr Juliet Pietsch Australian National University

Today The Australian Election StudiesThe Australian Election Studies Trends in media Use During Political CampaignsTrends in media Use During Political Campaigns Media Use and Political TrustMedia Use and Political Trust

1. The Australian Election Studies

2010 Australian Election Study Investigators: Prof. Ian McAllister, Prof. Clive Bean, Prof. Rachel Gibson, Dr Juliet PietschInvestigators: Prof. Ian McAllister, Prof. Clive Bean, Prof. Rachel Gibson, Dr Juliet Pietsch 2010 AES qnr. will be posted out after the election2010 AES qnr. will be posted out after the election 2010 AES questionnaire 2010 AES questionnaire

Australian Election Studies,

Web Addresses Australian Election Study ANU Poll

2. Trends in Media Use

Media Use During Political Campaigns

Media Use by Social Background, 2007

Internet Use ‘A Good Deal’ and ‘Sometimes’

3. Media Use and Political Trust

Media Use and Political Trust Trust in Government Trust in Political PartiesSatisfaction with Democracy (b) (beta) (b) (beta) (b) (beta) (Constant) Media Usage *** *** *** Gender (male) Location (urban) * * Age (in years) * University Educated ** Party Id (Labor) ** ** Minor Party ** *** ** No party ** *** ** Partisanship (strong) ** * Adjusted R²

Important Conclusions With the exception of the Internet, media use has been declining Internet is self-selecting- easier to bypass political news Increased media use during the political campaign is associated with lower levels of trust in politicians, parties and satisfaction with democracy.

Possible Explanations Media reporting has become more negative Media often reports politics in a very polarised way which depletes trust in those exposed to it. Rising and diverging expectations