Replication Data for: Persuading the Enemy: Estimating the Persuasive Effects of Partisan Media with the Preference-Incorporating Choice and Assignment Design

Does media choice cause polarization, or merely reflect it? We investigate a critical aspect of this puzzle: how partisan media contribute to attitude polarization among different groups of media consumers. We implement a new experimental design, called the Preference-Incorporating Choice and Assignment (PICA) design, that incorporates both free choice and forced exposure. We estimate jointly the degree of polarization caused by selective exposure and the persuasive effect of partisan media. Our design also enables us to conduct sensitivity analyses accounting for discrepancies between stated preferences and actual choice, a potential source of bias ignored in previous studies using similar designs. We find that partisan media can polarize both its regular consumers and inadvertent audiences who would otherwise not consume it, but ideologically-opposing media potentially also can ameliorate existing polarization between consumers. Taken together, these results deepen our understanding of when and how media polarize individuals.

媒体选择究竟是引发态度极化的动因，还是仅为既有极化现象的反映？本研究聚焦该学术谜题的关键面向：党派媒体如何推动不同媒体受众群体间的态度极化。本研究采用一种名为「偏好整合选择与分配（Preference-Incorporating Choice and Assignment, PICA）」的全新实验设计，该设计同时纳入自由选择与强制接触两种实验范式。我们联合估算了选择性接触所引发的极化程度，以及党派媒体的说服效应。本实验设计还支持我们开展敏感性分析，以考量自述偏好与实际选择之间的偏差——这是过往采用同类设计的研究中常被忽视的潜在偏误来源。研究结果表明，党派媒体既会使其常规受众产生态度极化，也会对原本不会接触此类媒体的无意受众造成极化影响；而意识形态对立的媒体则有可能缓解受众群体间既有的极化状态。综合而言，这些研究结果深化了我们对媒体在何时、以何种路径引发个体态度极化的认知。