(In)direct Framing Effects: The Effects of News Media Framing on Public Support for Turkish Membership in the European Union

News framing can exert a strong influence on public opinion. Following a media content analysis, this article investigates the effects of news framing on support for membership of Turkey in the European Union. A first experimental study (n = 304) showed a significant difference in the level of suppo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication research 2011-04, Vol.38 (2), p.179-205
Main Authors: de Vreese, Claes H., Boomgaarden, Hajo G., Semetko, Holli A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Content Analysis
Effects
Elites
EU membership
European Union
Individual Characteristics
Interaction
Mass Media
Mass Media Effects
Media coverage
Membership
News Coverage
News Media
Public Opinion
Public Support
Respondents
Turkey
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Summary:News framing can exert a strong influence on public opinion. Following a media content analysis, this article investigates the effects of news framing on support for membership of Turkey in the European Union. A first experimental study (n = 304) showed a significant difference in the level of support for Turkish membership between respondents who were exposed to a positively valenced news frame and respondents who had received a negative frame. The results of a second survey-embedded experimental study (n = 1,632) corroborated the first study, and tested the hypothesis that frames affect the importance of certain considerations and that the valence of the news frames also directly affects opinion. Negative news frames yielded stronger effects than positive news frames, and high political sophisticates were more affected by positive framing. The study demonstrates that (change in) public approval of Turkish EU membership is contingent on the elites’ and the media’s coverage of the issue in interaction with individual characteristics.
ISSN:0093-6502
1552-3810
DOI:10.1177/0093650210384934