Coalitions in the news

Author(s)
Jakob-Moritz Eberl, Carolina Plescia
Abstract

Past research has shown that media coverage during election campaigns influences citizen preferences and expectations about parties and political candidates. Very little is known, however, about the effect of media coverage on post-electoral coalition preferences and expectations. This is surprising, given that speculations about post-electoral coalition building are an essential part of election campaigns in all multiparty systems. This paper investigates the consequences that coalitions' media saliency and tone have on voter preferences and expectations about these potential coalitions. Using media and panel data from the 2013 German and Austrian election campaigns, we find that media coverage has substantial effects on voter perceptions although the effects differ in strength between the two countries. These findings have important implications for our understanding of media effects, voter expectations and campaign strategies.

Organisation(s)
Department of Communication, Department of Government
Journal
Electoral Studies
Volume
55
Pages
30-39
No. of pages
10
ISSN
0261-3794
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2018.07.004
Publication date
10-2018
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
506012 Political systems, 508012 Media impact studies
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Political Science and International Relations
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/coalitions-in-the-news(ae88268b-631a-4bf7-8c88-39ea6202df67).html