Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/308311 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 17452
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We estimate the causal effect of partisan media on voter behavior by exploiting a natural experiment in which Sky News Australia – a conservative 24-hour news channel – became freely available to 8 million people. Using comprehensive national polling-station-level electoral data and broadcast signal strength variation, we implement a continuous treatment difference-in-differences design comparing voting patterns in areas with and without access to the channel before and after its September 2018 free-to-air launch. We find that exposure to partisan media increased the conservative party's lead by 1.5 percentage points in Australia's 2019 federal election. These findings shed light on the role of partisan media in shaping electoral outcomes by influencing swing voters, not just by affecting who turns out to vote.
Subjects: 
partisan news
elections
spatial economics
JEL: 
D72
L82
R19
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.