Ideological Segregation Online and Offline / Matthew Gentzkow, Jesse M. Shapiro.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gentzkow, Matthew.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Shapiro, Jesse M.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w15916.

NBER working paper series no. w15916

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2010.

Summary:

We use individual and aggregate data to ask how the Internet is changing the ideological segregation of the American electorate. Focusing on online news consumption, offline news consumption, and face-to-face social interactions, we define ideological segregation in each domain using standard indices from the literature on racial segregation. We find that ideological segregation of online news consumption is low in absolute terms, higher than the segregation of most offline news consumption, and significantly lower than the segregation of face-to-face interactions with neighbors, co-workers, or family members. We find no evidence that the Internet is becoming more segregated over time.

Notes:

Print version record

April 2010.