The Media and Interpersonal Communications: The Priming of Issues, Leaders, and Party Identification

The article argues that part of the reason for vote instability during election campaigns is the media's role in priming the character of leaders. Although voters come to election campaigns with an array of opinions on candidates, issues, and parties, because candidates' personal qualities are highlighted by the media and parties are ignored, those voters more highly exposed to the media become increasingly likely to base their vote on candidate evaluations, and increasingly unlikely to base the decision on their party identification. On the other hand, this article demonstrates that interpersonal communications can act as a buffer to this tendency. Talking about politics over the course of the campaign primes issues. The argument is supported through use of a rolling cross section employed in the 1988 Canadian election.