Media diet and affective polarization in a polarized pluralistic media system: a longitudinal study of Spain.
Keywords:
Information Consumption, Media Diet, Spain, Affective PolarizationAbstract
This study aims to analyse the effects of three dimensions of media diet (quantity, frequency and partisan diversity) on affective polarization in Spanish general elections between 1993 and 2023. Using post-election survey data from CNEP project and employing a multivariate regression model, the results show that a high frequency of television consumption, an ideologically homogeneous media diet or a high number of media outlets increase affective polarisation at the individual level in certain electoral contexts over the last thirty years. The findings contribute to clarifying the role of the dimensions of media diet on affective polarization in Spain, analysed from the theorical framework of the limited effects of the media
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