Do News Frames Really Have Some Influence in the Real World? A Computational Analysis of Cumulative Framing Effects on Emotions and Opinions About Immigration

Abstract

This study examines how the news framing of immigration influences the public’s feelings toward immigrants and their preference for immigration policy in the United States. Unlike prior experimental research that documents the respondents’ immediate reactions to several hand-crafted news frames, this study provides strong empirical evidence for the association between the respondents’ real-world news exposure and their opinion change over time. Combining a computational media content analysis and a two-wave panel survey, the research demonstrates that while exposure to certain frames in the mainstream media would directly lead to public support for a stricter immigration policy, partisan media tend to affect public opinion indirectly by influencing their feelings toward immigrants in opposite directions.