News Media Use and Americans' Perceptions of Global Threat
TRAVIS N. RIDOUT a1, ASHLEY C. GROSSE a1andANDREW M. APPLETON a2 a1 Department of Political Science, Washington State University a2 Polimetrix, Inc., Palo Alto
This article explores the antecedents of Americans' perceptions of global threat, which may influence people's policy preferences and ultimately public policy. Three predictors of global threat perceptions are in focus: news media use, global knowledge and global experience. Using the 2004 Survey of Attitudes and Global Engagement, it is discovered that media use best explains global threat perceptions, but its impact is largely conditional on the characteristics of the individual and on the type of threat.
