Summary

Media consumption is correlated with political predispositions and economic perceptions. But the direction of causality is not evident. To what extent do media influence political predispositions and economic perceptions? Or, do people decide the media they consume as a result of their existing political predispositions and economic perceptions? Using data from polls that measure presidential approval and media consumption in Chile in 2007 and 2008, we test to see if political predispositions determine media consumption or whether it is the other way around. The data shows correlation, but does not strongly predict causality in either direction. But more media consumption is correlated with stronger views, both optimistic and pessimistic. More than determine the level of approval, media consumption seems to strengthen already existing views. Either because Chileans consume and then think or because they think and then consume, what they consume deepens what they already think just as what they think induces them select the media they consume.