Negativity Biases in Reactions to Network News

Soroka, S. (with Fournier, P. and Nir, L.) (2016). “Negativity Biases in Reactions to Network News: A Cross-National, Psychophysiological Pilot Study”conference paper presented at the 66th International Communication Association Annual Conference in June 2016 and “Negativity Biases in Reactions to Network News”conference paper presented at the Hendricks Symposium on Psychology, Biology and Political Attitudes, University of Nebraska-Lincoln in April 2015.

This is a large and still ongoing cross-national project. Negativity biases both affect the content of political news, and structure the content of political debate. In so doing, negativity biases have a profound effect on the nature and quality of representative democracy. This research is focused on understanding those effects, and considering their implications for the functioning of democratic politics, and for the design of political institutions.