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News repertoires, civic engagement and political participation among young adults in Israel

  • Sagit Dinnar EMAIL logo and Hillel Nossek
From the journal Communications

Abstract

This study investigates the cross-media repertoires of news consumption of young adults in today’s fragmented multi-media environment, and examines the interactions between those repertoires and the consumers’ civic engagement and political participation. By using a Q-sort method, the respondents were asked to sort a number of elicitation cards on a relational scalar grid, which allowed for subsequent statistical factor analysis of these qualitative data and the generation of a sub-typology of media consumption repertoires as well as the discursive practices of the respondents. We also used a questionnaire which included questions about news consumption, political participation, and civic engagement. The findings revealed that most young adults used repertoires of digital and new media news consumption. The interviewees were highly conscious of their choices of news sources, and some young adults explicitly stated that they preferred to consume news from sources which reflected their own political views. In this study we were able to map news media repertoires of young adults in Israel and found that young adults do participate, and are largely involved, in activism and protests.

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Appendix 1: Factor analysis

Rotated component matrix

Component

4

3

2

1

0.069

0.144

0.054

0.888

2

0.293

-0.175

0.136

0.767

6

0.245

0.192

0.434

0.731

11

0.292

0.239

0.28

0.724

9

-0.134

0.189

0.372

0.718

27

-0.018

-0.102

0.409

0.716

26

0.217

0.063

0.333

0.716

28

0.259

0.143

0.181

0.674

7

0.261

0.103

0.211

0.662

29

0.363

0.44

-0.062

0.657

5

0.001

0.256

0.189

0.656

35

0.247

0.299

-0.054

0.652

4

0.435

0.098

0.184

0.652

10

0.02

0.503

0.099

0.628

3

0.109

0.223

0.536

0.598

24

0.53

0.057

0.391

0.514

1

0.068

-0.165

0.848

0.122

30

-0.122

-0.076

0.774

0.27

18

0.032

0.339

0.759

0.235

33

0.203

0.064

0.746

0.38

36

0.004

0.057

0.676

0.295

34

0.359

0.406

0.463

0.227

23

0.343

0.212

0.418

0.237

8

0.136

0.575

0.4

0.485

25

0.082

0.574

0.066

0.516

32

0.236

0.584

0.469

0.111

13

-0.116

0.598

0.469

-0.02

20

0.047

0.787

-0.112

0.028

17

0.199

0.705

0.063

0.227

15

0.257

0.605

-0.33

0.201

12

0.468

0.455

0.241

0.155

19

0.892

-0.081

0.04

0.249

16

0.843

0.168

-0.148

0.22

21

0.733

0.392

0.237

-0.101

31

0.454

0.25

0.32

0.293

14

0.439

0.056

-0.297

0.213

22

Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire

Question 1

First, we would like to ask you about your participation in news coverage (mark all applicable with an x).

During an average week, in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage? Please select all that apply.

  1. Share a news story via a social network (like Facebook or Twitter).

  2. Share a news story via e-mail.

  3. Rate (or like) or recommend a news story.

  4. Comment on a news story in a social network (like Facebook or Twitter).

  5. Comment on a news story on a news website.

  6. Write a blog/post on a piece of news or political issue.

  7. Post or send a news-related picture or video to a social network site.

  8. Post or send a picture or video of yourself to a news website/news organization.

  9. Vote in an online poll via a news site or social network.

  10. Take part in a campaign or group based around a news subject.

  11. Talk with friends and colleagues about a news story (e. g., by e-mail, social media or WhatsApp).

  12. Talk with friends and colleagues about a news story (face-to-face).

  13. None of these.

  14. Something else _____________________________________________

Question 2

Now, we would like to ask you several questions which deal with the importance of different types of media-connected activities in your life. Please indicate the degree of importance of each activity for your everyday life from ‘very important’ (5) to ‘not at all important’ (1). If the activity is not at all relevant in your life or in your country, please indicate it as ‘not at all important’ (1).

Not at all importantvery important

5

4

3

2

1

  1. Writing letters to the editor of a print newspaper.

  2. Taking part in an open radio discussion.

  3. Voting (online or mobile phone/tablet) in media-invited polls.

  4. Participating actively in groups on the web.

  5. Creating (as initiator) content on social issues on the web using blogs, posts, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

  6. Expressing opinion (as a reaction) in social media: blogs, Facebook, talkbacks, Twitter, YouTube.

  7. Actively participating in the production of community/alternative newspapers/radio/television/internet channels.

  8. Anything else you would like to mention in this context.

Question 3

Have the following cultural and social activities played an important role in your everyday life during the last month? Please indicate the degree of importance for each activity from ‘very important’ (5) to ‘not at all important’ (1). If the activity is not relevant at all in your life or in your country, please mark ‘not at all important’ (1).

Not at all importantvery important

5

4

3

2

1

  1. Meeting with family members who do not live in my home.

  2. Meeting with my friends.

  3. Going out to the movies.

  4. Going out to the theater.

  5. Going out to sports events.

  6. Going out to attend music concerts (classical, rock, pop, jazz, etc.).

  7. Going out to attend lectures or other informative events.

  8. Reading books (print or digital).

  9. Going to art exhibitions/museums.

  10. Anything else you would like to mention in this context.

Question 4

Have the following political activities played an important role in your life during the last year? Please indicate how important the role of each activity is from ‘very important’ (5) to ‘not at all important’ (1). If the activity is not relevant at all in your life or in your country, please mark ‘not at all important’ (1).

Not at all importantvery important

5

4

3

2

1

  1. Membership in activist groups (social justice, environmental issues, nature and animal protection, veganism, etc.).

  2. Attending protests or demonstrations in the public space.

  3. Membership in a political party.

  4. Joining petitions of democratic intervention.

  5. Anything else you would like to mention in this context.

Question 5

To what extent do different sources of news play an important role in choosing topics for face-to-face conversations and discussions with your friends and family? Please indicate the relative importance of each source from ‘very important’ (5) to ‘not at all important’ (1). If this source of news is not relevant at all in your life or in your country, please mark ‘not at all important’ (1).

Not at all importantvery important

5

4

3

2

1

  1. Printed newspapers.

  2. News sites on the web.

  3. Television news and current affairs programs.

  4. Radio news and current affairs programs.

  5. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

  6. Anything else you would like to mention in this context.

Published Online: 2019-11-21
Published in Print: 2021-06-25

© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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