Multiplatform news consumption and its connections to civic engagement

Abstract

Studies of informational media use have focused on individual platforms or pitted platforms against each other when investigating their connections to civic engagement. This study offers evidence, collected in a 2016 survey of US adults, of how civically engaged individuals consume various types of news content across multiple platforms. Results suggest that the best condition is the most varied one, wherein consumers get news on all six platforms studied. A breakdown of content categories finds that television viewers and those who pay attention to breaking news and crime are less civically engaged.