Partisan Selective Exposure in TV Consumption Patterns: A Polarized Developing Country Context

Abstract

Partisan media are often accused of reinforcing partisan views and contributing to political polarization. Drawing on the literature on selective exposure and media effects, we survey a representative sample of 784 Lebanese citizens who consume partisan media in a highly polarized context. In the absence of centrist nonpartisan channels in Lebanon, we differentiate between extreme and moderate partisan channels and test the prevalence of partisan selective exposure among the viewers. Results show that partisan viewers exhibit partisan selective exposure when selecting channels to watch the news but not in case of entertainment. Neutral viewers avoided extreme partisan channels and were indifferent to the political leaning of the moderate partisan channels. In this study, we present profiling models that predict the likelihood of viewers to seek/avoid extreme and moderate partisan channels based on their political affiliation, religion, age, socioeconomic status, and gender.