The Mediating Role of Depression in the Relationship Between News Consumption and Interparty Hostility During Covid-19

Authors

  • Meital Balmas Senior Lecturer, Communication, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • Renana Atia Communication, Hebrew University of Jerusalem PhD student
  • Eran Halperin Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Psychology. Full Prof.

Keywords:

news consumption, Covid-19, depression, interparty hostility

Abstract

This article examines the association between different kinds of news consumption and interparty hostility and how this relationship is mediated by individuals’ levels of depression during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a study conducted in the United States, we found a significant correlation between consumption of news and feelings of depression that was mediated by political ideology: Conservatives who consume news from CNN, MSNBC, national network TV news, and social media reported higher levels of depressive symptoms than did Liberals. Depressive symptoms, in turn, were associated with increased hatred and intolerance toward ordinary members of a political out-group. We show that depression, catalyzed by news consumption, is a fundamental factor that could explain the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for levels of animosity among ideological groups.

Author Biographies

Meital Balmas, Senior Lecturer, Communication, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Meital Balmas is a senior lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Department of Communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research interests include political communication, political psychology and public opinion. Her work has been published in several scholarly journals such as American Journal of Political Science (AJPS), Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB), Journal of Communication (JOC), International Journal of Communication (IJOC),  Communication Research, Party Politics, the International Journal of Public Opinion Research (IJPOR), American academy for political and social sciences (ANNALS) and etc.Phone: 972524364441

Renana Atia, Communication, Hebrew University of Jerusalem PhD student

Renana Atia is a PhD student in the Department of Communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Phone: 972525381017

Eran Halperin, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Psychology. Full Prof.

Eran Halperin is a Full Professor in the department of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Phone: 972526551121

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Published

2022-12-29

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Articles