European Public Sphere| Attitudes Toward Illegal Immigration and Exposure to Public Service and Commercial Broadcasting in France, Norway, and the United States

Authors

  • Audun Beyer University of Oslo
  • Jörg Matthes University of Vienna

Keywords:

illegal immigration, public opinion, media use, public service broadcasting, commercial broadcasting

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship among political ideological orientations, exposure to news from public service and commercial broadcasters, and attitudes toward illegal immigration. Based on a comparative data set of a survey administered simultaneously in the United States, France, and Norway, we hypothesize that commercial news broadcasting drives stricter attitudes toward illegal immigration than public service broadcasting does. The findings suggest that political orientation is the strongest predictor of negative attitudes toward illegal immigration in all three countries. In addition, we find that exposure to commercial news broadcasting is positively related to negative attitudes toward illegal immigration in the United States, France, and Norway. Public service broadcasting, in contrast, leads to more positive attitudes toward illegal immigration in the United States but not in France and Norway. The implications for future research are discussed.

Author Biographies

Audun Beyer, University of Oslo

Associate ProfessorDepartment of media and communication University of Oslo

Jörg Matthes, University of Vienna

Professor at the Department of Communication, University of Vienna

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Published

2015-10-15

Issue

Section

Special Sections