Who Cares About the Issues? Issue Voting and the Role of News Media During the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election

Analyzing data from the 2000 American National Election Study, we examined the role of news media in facilitating issue voting. We found that respondents who paid greater attention to news coverage of the election were more likely to hold specific opinions on campaign issues. Voters who devoted greater attention to news media were also more aware of where each candidate stood on various policy issues. These two political cognitions (issue opinionation and knowledge of candidate issue positions) were important conditions for issue voting. We found that those who devoted greater attention to news media were more concerned about the issues when making electoral choices. Beyond and above demographic predispositions, we conclude that issue voting is also a function of paying attention to news media.