Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adults

The news is an efficient way to share information and plays an important role in shaping and reflecting cultural values and norms. However, research examining news consumption and abortion attitudes is limited. In this exploratory study, we analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 88...

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Main Authors: Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez, Brandon L. Crawford, Danny Valdez, Kathryn J. LaRoche, Ronna C. Turner, Kristen N. Jozkowski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Communication
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1422318/full
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author Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez
Brandon L. Crawford
Danny Valdez
Kathryn J. LaRoche
Ronna C. Turner
Kristen N. Jozkowski
author_facet Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez
Brandon L. Crawford
Danny Valdez
Kathryn J. LaRoche
Ronna C. Turner
Kristen N. Jozkowski
author_sort Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez
collection DOAJ
description The news is an efficient way to share information and plays an important role in shaping and reflecting cultural values and norms. However, research examining news consumption and abortion attitudes is limited. In this exploratory study, we analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 886 US adults to assess whether self-reported frequency of news consumption—by news format (e.g., television, radio, newspaper, social media), news leaning (i.e., liberal, neutral, conservative), and total sum (i.e., total amount of consumption across leanings)—predicted abortion attitudes and complexity in attitudes. We conducted Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses controlling for demographic variables. We found that gender, political affiliation, Bible literalism, educational attainment, and abortion identity were significant predictors. While we did not observe a relationship between news format and abortion attitudes, we did find that the associations between news leaning and the total sum of news consumed varied across abortion identity. Our findings suggest that attitudes toward abortion may be differentially influenced by partisan news across abortion identity. After Dobbs v. Jackson, there is a need for advocates to tailor strategies to different sub-groups, promote media literacy, and encourage the use of diverse and balanced news sources to foster more informed views on abortion.
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spelling doaj-art-f7836b3bd45c4f0fa50c44c23e0bcfc32024-11-11T16:15:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2024-11-01910.3389/fcomm.2024.14223181422318Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adultsLucrecia Mena-Meléndez0Brandon L. Crawford1Danny Valdez2Kathryn J. LaRoche3Ronna C. Turner4Kristen N. Jozkowski5Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United StatesDepartment of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United StatesDepartment of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United StatesDepartment of Public Health, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesEducational Statistics and Research Methods, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United StatesDepartment of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United StatesThe news is an efficient way to share information and plays an important role in shaping and reflecting cultural values and norms. However, research examining news consumption and abortion attitudes is limited. In this exploratory study, we analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 886 US adults to assess whether self-reported frequency of news consumption—by news format (e.g., television, radio, newspaper, social media), news leaning (i.e., liberal, neutral, conservative), and total sum (i.e., total amount of consumption across leanings)—predicted abortion attitudes and complexity in attitudes. We conducted Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses controlling for demographic variables. We found that gender, political affiliation, Bible literalism, educational attainment, and abortion identity were significant predictors. While we did not observe a relationship between news format and abortion attitudes, we did find that the associations between news leaning and the total sum of news consumed varied across abortion identity. Our findings suggest that attitudes toward abortion may be differentially influenced by partisan news across abortion identity. After Dobbs v. Jackson, there is a need for advocates to tailor strategies to different sub-groups, promote media literacy, and encourage the use of diverse and balanced news sources to foster more informed views on abortion.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1422318/fullabortionattitudesnews consumptionnews partisanshipsurvey
spellingShingle Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez
Brandon L. Crawford
Danny Valdez
Kathryn J. LaRoche
Ronna C. Turner
Kristen N. Jozkowski
Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adults
Frontiers in Communication
abortion
attitudes
news consumption
news partisanship
survey
title Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adults
title_full Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adults
title_fullStr Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adults
title_full_unstemmed Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adults
title_short Is news consumption related to abortion attitudes? An exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of US adults
title_sort is news consumption related to abortion attitudes an exploratory study with a nationally representative sample of us adults
topic abortion
attitudes
news consumption
news partisanship
survey
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1422318/full
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