Research Paper 12: Media influence perception and decision-making

"The media play a particularly important role in democracies. Media coverage has a not inconsiderable influence on the perception and decisions of citizens as consumers, entrepreneurs or voters," says Tobias Thomas, Director of the economic research institute EcoAustria. Although many people would agree with this on a gut level, more and more research has been carried out in recent years to investigate the influence using econometric methods. The results show, among other things, that the population's concerns increase significantly if there has previously been more intensive reporting on topics such as income inequality or migration, even if the situation has remained factually unchanged. However, media coverage not only has an impact on the level of perception, but also influences actions and intentions to act. For example, other studies show that more positive or less negative reporting on a party increases voting intentions for that party. "The proven influence of media coverage illustrates the special responsibility of the media in democracies," says Thomas. There is robust empirical evidence based on data from Germany that the media fulfill their role as the fourth estate. The results show that, compared to their average positioning, the party reporting of traditional leading media is more critical of the party currently in government. Future research could also look at the influence of social media and other countries, according to a research paper published today by EcoAustria.