Sizing Up The Daily Show : Audience Perceptions of Political Comedy Programming

As young Americans increasingly turn to political comedy programs like The Daily Show, scholars should seek to understand viewers' perceptions of these shows. To study audience perceptions, we draw on the theoretical lens of the "third-person effect," examining audience evaluations of The Daily Show in comparison to evaluations of hard news programming (CitationDavison, 1983). The analyses presented in this research are based on data from an experimental study conducted with undergraduate participants (N = 332) at a major Midwestern university in the spring of 2007. Our findings reveal a significant third-person effect pattern for comedy programming, distinct from that observed for traditional hard news, among a key segment of the political comedy audience. A subsequent evaluation of hostile media effects connected with The Daily Show broadens our investigation of the perceived impacts related to viewing political comedy. We conclude by discussing the ways that this pattern of findings helps illuminate the direct effects of political comedy. Notes 1Given the relative demographic similarity of the participants, demographic variables like age, gender, or parents' education levels were not included in the analysis. *p < .05. ***p < .001. *p < .05. ***p < .001. 2Further analysis suggested that Democrats were also significantly less likely to perceive a third-person effect for political comedy than their Republican peers, suggesting that the two sides may be viewing The Daily Show from differing vantage points.