Political Engagement through Debates: Young Citizens’ Reactions to the 2004 Presidential Debates

Authors

Mitchell S. McKinney, University of Missouri - Columbia
Sumana Chattopadhyay, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

19 p.

Publication Date

5-2007

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Source Publication

American Behavioral Scientist

Source ISSN

0002-7642

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1177/0002764207300050

Abstract

This study examines how exposure to a televised debate affects young citizens’ normative democratic tendencies, attitudes that have been linked to increased civic and political participation, including voting behavior. The authors also are interested in the confidence young citizens express in the political knowledge they possess—their political information efficacy—and specifically how confidence in one’s knowledge may be affected by exposure to such a sustained and “information-rich” source of campaign information as a 90-minute candidate debate. Findings reveal that debates strengthen, at least in the short term, democratic attitudes and also strengthen young citizens’ levels of political information efficacy.

Comments

Accepted version. American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 50, No. 9 (May 2007): 1093-1111. DOI. © 2007 SAGE Publications. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

McKinney, Mitchell S. and Chattopadhyay, Sumana, "Political Engagement through Debates: Young Citizens’ Reactions to the 2004 Presidential Debates" (2007). College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications. 30.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/30