Citizens’ media use and the accuracy of their perceptions of electoral integrity

Abstract

Combining data from the sixth wave (2010–2014) of the World Values Survey (WVS) and the 2012–2013 Perceptions of Electoral Integrity (PEI) expert survey, this study looks at the link between the frequency of citizens’ informational use of traditional media (newspapers, magazines, radio and TV) and the internet, and the accuracy of their perceptions of the electoral process, and investigates how this link varies depending on countries’ levels of press freedom. A multilevel analysis including data from 16 countries shows that the frequency of the use of traditional media has a significantly more positive effect on the accuracy of citizens’ perceptions of electoral integrity in countries with high levels of press freedom compared with countries with low levels of press freedom. The frequency of the use of the internet relates similarly to the accuracy of perceptions of electoral integrity in countries with high and low levels of press freedom.