Work

From viewers to voters: Tracing Fox News’ impact on American democracy

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the effect of Fox News Channel (FNC) on the mass public’s political preferences and voting behavior in the United States from 2000 to 2020. We show that FNC has shifted the ideology and partisan identity of Americans rightward. This shift has helped Republican candidates in elections across levels of U.S. government over the past decade. Our estimates suggests that an increase of 0.05 rating points in Fox News viewership, induced by exogenous changes in channel placement, has increased Republican vote shares by at least 0.5 percentage points in recent presidential, Senate, House, and gubernatorial elections. Our findings have broad implications for political behavior, elections, and the political process in the United States. • Fox News viewership shifted American ideology and party identity rightward. • A 0.05 rise in Fox ratings increased Republican vote shares by 0.5% in elections. • Fox News influenced presidential, Senate, House, and gubernatorial races.

Source: Journal of Public Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105256

Authors: Elliott Ash, Sergio Galletta, Matteo Pinna, Christopher S. Warshaw

Institutions: ETH Zurich, George Washington University

Language: English

Topic: Media Influence and Politics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,800