Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/262101 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
ECONtribute Discussion Paper No. 157
Publisher: 
University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Reinhard Selten Institute (RSI), Bonn and Cologne
Abstract: 
We examine the relative importance of accuracy concerns and belief confirmation motives in driving the demand for news. In experiments with US respondents, we first vary beliefs about whether an outlet reports the news in a right-wing biased, left-wing biased, or unbiased way. We then measure demand for a newsletter covering articles from this outlet. Respondents only reduce their demand for biased news if the bias is inconsistent with their own political beliefs, suggesting a trade-off between accuracy concerns and belief confirmation motives. We quantify this trade-off using a structural model and find a similar quantitative importance of both motives.
Subjects: 
News Demand
Media Bias
Accuracy Concerns
Belief Confirmation
JEL: 
D83
D91
L82
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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