Citizen consciousness and the media in the midst of social differentiation: the symposium introduction |
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| Authors: | Zhongdang Pan |
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| Institution: | Department of Communication Arts , University of Wisconsin-Madison , USA |
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| Abstract: | This study examines whether and how political party support shapes interpersonal political discussion. Drawing upon existing research, party support is hypothesized to lead to more frequent political discussion and lower levels of disagreement within discussion networks. Party support is also hypothesized to moderate the relationship between news consumption and discussion frequency and the relationship between discussion frequency and disagreement. The analysis further explores if the impact of party support varies according to the parties being supported. The hypotheses and research question were examined using data from representative surveys conducted in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The findings illustrate the importance of political party support in structuring citizens' interpersonal political discussions in the consolidated democracy of Taiwan and, though to a lesser extent, in the semi-democratic environment of Hong Kong. In Taiwan, the impact of discussion frequencies on disagreement in discussion network varies according to the party being supported. Implications of the findings are discussed. |
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| Keywords: | political party support political discussion disagreement news consumption Hong Kong Taiwan |
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