Selective exposure in an environment of Information Diversity: Results of a Diary Survey and Attitude Analysis of News Use

Indicators for selective exposure to news content on ideological grounds in the Flemish-speaking Belgian news market are weak. This may be due to the relative abundance of internally diverse or balanced news sources. This finding raises questions about what other factors may influence the selection of news in a context of information abundance. In exploring this research question, an interesting paradox is found. Preferences for hard and soft news and for high-brow and low-brow news sources differ between users who may be labelled as conservatives and liberals. The reasons for these differences are explored. The study is based on the results of a diary survey and background analysis of a population between the ages of 25 and 45 living in Flanders, Belgium and consisted of a pre-survey (N=1006) to check for socio-demographic profiles, ideological attitudes and psycho-social dispositions; a time-diary (N=460) for news consumption; and a post-survey (N=572) to assess for recall of news items.