Value Framing Effects on the Decision-Making Process: Ethical and Material Frames and Opinions About North Korean Nuclear Development

Authors

  • Jaeho Cho University of California, Davis
  • Saifuddin Ahmed University of California, Davis
  • Jung Won Park Sungkyunkwan University
  • Heejo Keum Sungkyunkwan University

Keywords:

value framing, framing effects, decision making, North Korean nuclear crisis, anti-Americanism

Abstract

Drawing on value frames frequently used in the current political discourse on North Korean nuclear aspirations, this study investigates how value framing affects people’s policy preference. News stories were manipulated by highlighting either the ethical or material dangers of the North’s nuclear armament. Findings indicate that value framing did not directly shape opinion about government policy on North Korea. However, news framing produced a more subtle set of effects on the way people make decisions. Participants’ opinions about how to respond to the nuclear crisis were closely aligned with their general political attitudes. As hypothesized, this pattern was more pronounced when participants were exposed to the ethical frame. Implications for understanding of value framing and public opinion are discussed. 

Author Biographies

Jaeho Cho, University of California, Davis

Jaeho Cho (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave., University of California, Davis, CA 95616; phone: +1-530-754-0975; e-mail: jaecho@ucdavis.edu.

Saifuddin Ahmed, University of California, Davis

Saifuddin Ahmed (MA, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave., University of California, Davis, CA 95616; e-mail: sfdahmed@ucdavis.edu.

Jung Won Park, Sungkyunkwan University

Jung Won Park is a graduate student in Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Sungkyunkwan University; e-mail: laylap@naver.com.

Heejo Keum, Sungkyunkwan University

Heejo Keum (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison) is a professor in Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Sungkyunkwan University, 50505 First Faculty Hall, 25-2 Sungkyunkwan-Ro, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, South Korea; phone: +82-2-760-0689; e-mail: hkeum@skku.edu.

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Published

2016-10-13

Issue

Vol. 10 (2016)

Section

Articles

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