The Influence of Presumed Media Influence on Democratic Legitimacy

Abstract

In this article, we examine the notion that perceptions of strong influence of biased media coverage may indirectly lead to an increased willingness to resort to violent protest. We test this idea on a sample of Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (N = 413), in the dramatic context of a Likud party vote on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out from the Gaza Strip, which includes a proposed evacuation of the settlers from their homes. Findings show that perceptions of influence of biased media coverage of the settlements on Israeli public opinion were associated with perceptions of the negative image of the settlements in Israeli public opinion, which in turn had an impact on the justification of violent resistance to the likely evacuation. The perceived image of the settlements, resulting from presumed media influence, also affected settlers' political inefficacy and their thoughts about residential mobility.