Generational Gaps in Political Media Use and Civic Engagement

This impressive book introduces a new model for studying media use and political participation. The authors introduce an original research design that combines generational analysis of media preferences with a compelling framework for mapping a broad spectrum of political participation. The resulting analyses shows how different generations of citizens are defined by their media habits, and how those communication preferences offer different pathways into politics.

Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science and Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication, Emeritus, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

Rich in data and full of big ideas, Generational Gaps in Political Information Use and Civic Engagement tells the story of remarkable differences in patterns of media use and political engagement across five generations. The authors paint a largely hopeful portrait of the continued importance of news use in democracy, while offering warnings to us all of the potential dangers posed by our increasingly fragmented, personalized media environment. The book is a must for anyone who cares about safeguarding the political voice of emerging generations.

Kjerstin Thorson, Associate Professor, Michigan State University

With the changing media landscape creating new patterns of information consumption and opportunities for a great number of actors to express themselves and reach others in ways that were previously impossible, understanding the effects of exposure to political information on political participation is critical for assessing the health of our democracy. Theoretically innovative and conceptually rich, Generational Gaps in Political Information Use and Civic Engagement, brings together three different types of data collection to explore the interplay between information consumption, participation and engagement by the young and the elderly. Providing new insights about how a variety of types of exposure experienced by five generations affect different types of input to the political system, Andersen and colleagues’ book adds important new empirical evidence for understanding participation and active citizenship in a changing political information environment.

Professor of Media and Communication, University of Bremen