The Demand for News: Accuracy Concerns versus Belief Confirmation Motives
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The Demand for News: Accuracy Concerns versus Belief Confirmation Motives. / Chopra, Felix; Haaland, Ingar; Roth, Christopher.
In: The Economic Journal, 15.03.2024.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The Demand for News: Accuracy Concerns versus Belief Confirmation Motives
AU - Chopra, Felix
AU - Haaland, Ingar
AU - Roth, Christopher
PY - 2024/3/15
Y1 - 2024/3/15
N2 - We examine the relative importance of accuracy concerns and belief confirmation motives in driving the demand for news. In experiments with US voters, we first vary beliefs about whether an outlet reports the news in a right-wing biased, left-wing biased, or unbiased way. We then measure demand for a newsletter covering articles from this outlet. Right-wing voters strongly reduce their demand for left-wing biased news, but not for right-wing biased news. The reverse patterns hold for left-wing voters. These results suggest a trade-off between accuracy concerns and belief confirmation motives. We quantify this trade-off using a structural model and find a similar quantitative importance of both motives.
AB - We examine the relative importance of accuracy concerns and belief confirmation motives in driving the demand for news. In experiments with US voters, we first vary beliefs about whether an outlet reports the news in a right-wing biased, left-wing biased, or unbiased way. We then measure demand for a newsletter covering articles from this outlet. Right-wing voters strongly reduce their demand for left-wing biased news, but not for right-wing biased news. The reverse patterns hold for left-wing voters. These results suggest a trade-off between accuracy concerns and belief confirmation motives. We quantify this trade-off using a structural model and find a similar quantitative importance of both motives.
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueae019
DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueae019
M3 - Journal article
JO - The Economic Journal
JF - The Economic Journal
SN - 0013-0133
ER -
ID: 381741779