From political news consumption to political participation: the mediating role of ideological polarization across 24 countries

Political news consumption (PNC) can both inform and divide, but whether it promotes political participation through ideological polarization remains unclear. This study examines how PNC affects institutional and non-institutional political participation across 24 European countries, using Round 11 of the European Social Survey and country-level mediation models. Results show PNC positively affects institutional participation in 13 countries and non-institutional participation in three. PNC has a positive direct effect on ideological polarization in eight countries and a negative effect in two. Ideological polarization more consistently predicts participation, with positive effects on institutional participation in 17 countries and non-institutional participation in 21. Positive indirect effects of PNC via polarization are observed in only five countries for institutional and six for non-institutional participation. The United Kingdom shows negative indirect effects for both, suggesting polarization may discourage participation in some contexts. Overall, PNC's effects on participation are highly country-dependent.