The moderating role of partisanship in the relationship between perceptions of media bias and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the U.S.

ABSTRACT

This study examines the moderating role of political partisanship between perceptions of media bias and vaccine hesitancy. Data from three cross-sectional online surveys, collected in the summer of 2021, are analyzed. The results show that the variation in perception of media bias contributes to vaccine hesitancy more among Republicans, compared to Democrats.

KEYWORDS:

• Perceptions of media bias
• partisanship
• COVID-19
• vaccine hesitancy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Open scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badge for Open Data. The data are openly accessible at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1212328

Notes

1. This study has been approved by IRB. The IRB type was exempt and the number was #200776081.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wenzhu Li

Wenzhu Li is a Ph.D. student in the Media School at Indiana University Bloomington. Her research interests focus on environmental communication, health communication and media effects.

Harry Yaojun Yan

Harry Yaojun Yan is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University. His research investigates the effects of emerging media technologies on the formation of publication opinion, with a special focus on political manipulation and social inequity.

James Shanahan

James Shanahan is a Professor in the Media School at Indiana University Bloomington. His research interests focus on cultural indicators, cultivation theory, media effects and public opinion. Special areas of focus are communication in relation to science and the environment.