Fearful Conservatives, Angry Liberals: Information Processing Related to the 2016 Presidential Election and Climate Change

Janet Z. Yang; Haoran Chu; Lee Ann Kahlor

doi:10.1177/1077699018811089

Fearful Conservatives, Angry Liberals: Information Processing Related to the 2016 Presidential Election and Climate Change

Janet Z. Yang, Haoran Chu, Lee Ann Kahlor

Public Relations

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22 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study focuses on motivators of information processing during the 2016 U.S. presidential election cycle in relation to two specific topics—the election itself and the issue of climate change. We conducted two national surveys based on the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP) in October 2016, about a month before Election Day. Results indicate that political ideology is an important determinant of people’s motivations for information processing related to both topics. These findings attest to the utility of the RISP model in explicating information processing behaviors beyond environmental and health risk issues.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	742-766
Number of pages	25
Journal	Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
Volume	96
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699018811089
State	Published - Sep 1 2019

Keywords

2016 presidential election
anger
climate change
fear
information processing

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title = "Fearful Conservatives, Angry Liberals: Information Processing Related to the 2016 Presidential Election and Climate Change",

abstract = "This study focuses on motivators of information processing during the 2016 U.S. presidential election cycle in relation to two specific topics—the election itself and the issue of climate change. We conducted two national surveys based on the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP) in October 2016, about a month before Election Day. Results indicate that political ideology is an important determinant of people{\textquoteright}s motivations for information processing related to both topics. These findings attest to the utility of the RISP model in explicating information processing behaviors beyond environmental and health risk issues.",

keywords = "2016 presidential election, anger, climate change, fear, information processing",

author = "Yang, {Janet Z.} and Haoran Chu and Kahlor, {Lee Ann}",

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Fearful Conservatives, Angry Liberals: Information Processing Related to the 2016 Presidential Election and Climate Change

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Keywords

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