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Abstract
The present study analyzes the effects of voters' massmedia use on their political behaviors during the 1996 Taiwan Presidential Election. The research findings indicate that the superior status of mainstream media has been threatened by new media that enjoy a rapid growth in the market for the past few years, while dissident media's influence is not as strong as they used to be. We find that there is a steady and positive relationship between the degree of media use and voters' acquisition of political knowledge, and that voters supporting different candidates tend to expose themselves to different types of mass media. In addition, we find that supporters of President Lee Teng-Hui resemble characters central to those of "the chronic know-nothings", and such findings warrant further analysis.
Abstract
This study used a national survey of college students in Taiwan to examine the relationship between media perceptions, media behaviors and political consequences, including political participation and internal political efficacy. Findings of this study indicated that college students' perceptions of media utility determines their media use, which in turn affects their political participation and internal political efficacy. Furthermore, college students' media self-efficacy leads to media participation, which further determines their political participation and internal political efficacy.
Abstract
Political scientists and communication scholars agree that news media play an important role in influencing and shaping one's political preferences. However, it is also known that individuals are not waiting for being changed by the news media; instead, some are active in choosing news sources. This selective process has been discussed and confirmed since the 1960s in American studies but has not been empirically examined in Taiwan's context. The theory of selective exposure suggests that voters, particularly those politically knowledgeable, are more likely to process information selectively, including selective exposure, selective perception, and selective retention. This study employs data collected between January and March, 2008, the campaign season of the presidential election, and analyzes the relationship between partisanship and selective exposure. The analysis also includes a regression of selective exposure on both partisanship and partisan strength. The results confirm the theoretical expectations, and an agenda of research on this media use behavior is proposed.
