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Appendix
Media use motives
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Surveillance
o
The news media helps me judge what political leaders are really like.
o
The news media helps me make up my mind how to vote in an election.
o
The news media helps me judge who is likely to win an election.
o
The news media helps me decide if I will vote in an upcoming election.
o
The news media enables me to understand what is going on in politics.
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Social interaction
o
The news media helps me develop ammunition for political arguments that I will
use for others.
o
The news media allows me to keep with political happenings.
o
The news media prepares me for future political discussion.
o
I enjoy the excitement of an election race.
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Diversion
o
The news media is a good way of passing time when I do not feel like doing
anything else.
Note: Responses were “Strongly Agree” (4), “Somewhat Agree” (3), “Somewhat Disagree” (2),
and “Strongly Disagree” (1).
Voting
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Are you currently registered to vote?
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Did you vote in the 1996 Presidential Election?
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Do you plan on voting in the 2000 Presidential election on November 7
th
?
Note: Responses were “Yes” (1), “No” (2). “No” was recoded into zero to create an additive
index of voting behavior.
Consumption of media coverage
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Do you watch or listen to any of the coverage of the Republican or Democratic
conventions this summer?
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Did you watch or listen to any of the coverage of the Presidential debates this fall?
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Did you watch or listen to any of the coverage of the Vice-presidential debate this fall?
Note: Responses were “Yes” (1), “No” (2). “No” was recoded into zero to create an additive
index of consuming media coverage.
Interest in politics
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Overall, how interested are you in politics?
Note: Responses were “Very Interested” (4), “Somewhat Interested” (3), “Somewhat
Uninterested” (2), and “Very Uninterested” (1).
Interpersonal communication about politics
ƒ
How often do you talk to others about the election or other aspects of politics?
Note: Responses were “Very Often” (4), “Sometimes” (3), “Rarely” (2), and “Never” (1).
Convention