Papers by Andrés Scherman
Social Science Quarterly , 2024
Introduction: Public opinion studies have traditionally relied on survey analyses. However, a qua... more Introduction: Public opinion studies have traditionally relied on survey analyses. However, a qualitative approach is needed to address opinion formation's multidimensional and contextual nature. In this study, we argue that focus groups are a technique that addresses these unique challenges. Methods: We test this argument by looking at the case of Chile, a country marked by a streak of eight elections in three years, including two national referendums for a constitutional proposal. In this politically polarized setting, and over the course of the latter election year, we conducted 10 focus groups comprising a diverse sample in terms of gender, age, socioeconomic status, and occupation. As participants shared news diets, political views, and values, data suggest a tendency to independently verify information regardless of the source, and highly influenced by their close ones. Results: From a methodological perspective, our findings show that focus groups enable the assessment of the context-situated opinion formation process, reveal emerging themes, and promote open discussion. These results also reflect the multifaceted nature of public opinion formation in a dynamic media landscape and can inform other countries undergoing a crisis of institutional legitimacy. KEYWORDS Chile, focus groups, news media, political discussion, public opinion Numerous societal, political, and technological changes over the last decades have considerably fragmented the power of news media and constrained the effectiveness of surveys in measuring public perception of political issues (Malka and Adelman 2023). Such changes have also impaired the ability of traditional media to influence and predict voting behaviors and election outcomes (Shulman et al. 2022), a landscape now colonized mainly by social media analyses (Reveilhac, Steinmetz, and Morselli 2022). Moreover, Latin
Electoral Stdies, 2024
Trust in the integrity of the electoral process is essential for a functioning democracy. However... more Trust in the integrity of the electoral process is essential for a functioning democracy. However, doubts about the legitimacy of electoral processes have increased in established and emerging democracies. We analyzed electoral integrity perceptions and related variables across 26 elections and 18 countries using post-election surveys conducted between 2004 and 2021 as part of the Comparative National Elections Project. We found that citizens' experiences of electoral integrity failures, such as bribery and intimidation, are crucial in shaping their perceptions of electoral integrity. Additionally, we found that autonomous electoral offices have little effect on citizens' perceptions of integrity and freedom in the electoral process. Finally, electoral integrity perceptions significantly impact attitudes towards democracy. Our results emphasize the importance of well-functioning electoral processes and institutions in upholding the legitimacy of democracies.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 2022
How mass media frame information about migrants is vital to further their well-being and social i... more How mass media frame information about migrants is vital to further their well-being and social inclusion in the host society. However, it can also encourage forms of discrimination and xenophobia. In Chile, migration is a theme of great relevance due to a substantial increase in the flow of migrants over the last ten years, as well as the acts of extreme violence toward this group. Thus, this research analyzes how mass media coverage of migrants influences Chileans’ perception of migrants. Adopting an experimental design, we implemented a large-scale, representative online survey with citizens over 18 years of age (N = 2227) and an experiment with combined access to positive and negative news about migrants in different news outlets. The regression analysis showed differences between citizens regarding the type of daily relationships they are willing to maintain with the migrant population. Furthermore, exposure to news about migration was the primary variable that explains why people consider this phenomenon one of the main problems affecting the country, confirming the agenda-setting theory. The experiment also indicated a causal relationship between the exposure to negative content and negative judgment about this group and their presence in the country
Cuadernos.info, 2015
Este estudio explora las prácticas de apropiación de distintos medios de
comunicación por parte d... more Este estudio explora las prácticas de apropiación de distintos medios de
comunicación por parte de las audiencias y las percepciones de representación a través de sus discursos. A través de una metodología cualitativa -que combinó el registro de diarios de vida con entrevistas en profundidad (N= 36)- este estudio reveló una brecha centro-periferia: las
audiencias definen de forma diferente lo “local” según estén en el centro (Santiago) o en la periferia (regiones). A su vez, las audiencias de la periferia se sienten poco representadas y cubiertas de una manera estereotípica por los medios nacionales, los cuales se concentran en las audiencias del centro.
Journal of Youth Studies, 2021
Between 2009 and 2019, Chile experienced the rise and fall of a powerful and influential environm... more Between 2009 and 2019, Chile experienced the rise and fall of a powerful and influential environmental movement. This movement spurred massive protests against large-scale energy and mining projects, successfully blocking many of them. Although these demonstrations brought together people of all ages and backgrounds, youth were particularly active in advocating for the environment. As digital natives, young people may experiment with new ways of engaging in participatory actions, especially through social network sites, instant messaging and other social applications. We use data from the annual Youth, Participation, and Media Use surveys fielded between 2009 and 2019 to study the individual-level relationship between social media and environmental activism among young Chileans. As expected, we find that social media use is positively associated with participation in environmental issues. Nevertheless, this relationship is dynamic, gradually weakening over time. Thus, our results suggest that social media effects on environmental activism are contingent upon the specific stage of the protest cycle. We close with a discussion of the relevance of our findings as well as their limitations.
International Journal of Communication, 2021
This research analyzes the main news frames used in coverage of migration in Chile. Over the past... more This research analyzes the main news frames used in coverage of migration in Chile. Over the past two decades, this South American nation has become an important destination for local migration, nearly quadrupling its migrant population. The analysis of a representative sample of news disseminated in 2019 on four different platforms-print media, television, radio, and the Internet (N = 411)-shows that although a negative
Social Media + Society, 2021
In this article, we explore the relationship between social media use and participation in protes... more In this article, we explore the relationship between social media use and participation in protests in Chile. In October 2019, Chile faced the most massive protests since the country's return to democracy. Due to its magnitude, the media and analysts refer to this process as the "social outburst." Although these protests engaged broad sectors of the population, most of the protesters were young people. Using a probabilistic and face-to-face survey applied to young people aged 18-29 years, we find that the only social media platform associated with participation in protests was Facebook. Our analysis also shows the importance of the specific activities that people engage in social media. Taking part in political activities on social media is strongly associated with attending protests but using social media platforms to get information or share common interests with other users is not. Furthermore, we examine whether social media has an indirect impact on participation through interpersonal conversation. The results show that Instagram-one of the most popular social media platforms among young Chileans-spurs interpersonal conversation, which in turn increases the likelihood of participating in protests. Our findings suggest that social media still plays a role in shaping people's political behavior despite changes in the social media environment and in social media consumption patterns.
Journalism
Previous research has largely explored the differences and similarities between print and digital... more Previous research has largely explored the differences and similarities between print and digital media in terms of news cycles and specific content characteristics. However, fewer studies have addressed the extent to which the media platform accounts for differences in the performance of key journalistic roles. Based on a content analysis of 1519 stories from Chilean print and online news outlets, this study found that, while media affordances did have an influence on the way journalists performed their work, thematic beat and media audience orientation were more crucial to explaining differences in the presence of different roles across print and digital media. The findings support a position that is midway between the generalist and particularistic approaches regarding the influence of the media platform on role performance, thereby underscoring the multilayered nature of journalistic practice.
Journalism Practice, 2020
Previous research has analyzed the extent to which the structural
characteristics of news organiz... more Previous research has analyzed the extent to which the structural
characteristics of news organizations and the outlets where
journalists operate explain differences in media diversity. Based on
a content analysis of 16,281 news stories from Chilean television,
radio, print, online media and Twitter, this study examines
whether differences in source diversity remain stable across news
media platforms within the same medium. The findings show that
both platform type and medium significantly influence the
presence of source diversity at different levels. Our results speak
to the strong influence that each media platform has on how
journalists manage news balance and number of sources when
producing a story. They also provide strong evidence of the
importance of the macro organizational structure of the medium
for the type of sources included in the news. Likewise, our study
questions common assumptions as it reveals that online media do
not favor the presence of a greater diversity of sources and points
of view in the news and are associated with a lower degree of
diversity in general.
Previous research has largely explored the differences and similarities between print and digital... more Previous research has largely explored the differences and similarities between print and digital media in terms of news cycles and specific content characteristics. However, fewer studies have addressed the extent to which the media platform accounts for differences in the performance of key journalistic roles. Based on a content analysis of 1519 stories from Chilean print and online news outlets, this study found that, while media affordances did have an influence on the way journalists performed their work, thematic beat and media audience orientation were more crucial to explaining differences in the presence of different roles across print and digital media. The findings support a position that is midway between the generalist and particularistic approaches regarding
International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 2018
This study seeks to deepen our understanding of the factors that explain individuals' willingness... more This study seeks to deepen our understanding of the factors that explain individuals' willingness to self-censor (WtSC)—the proclivity to withhold an opinion from an audience perceived to disagree with that opinion. It does so by testing the ''impressionable years'' hypothesis, which states that the historical context experienced between the age of 18 and 25 years has a lasting effect on individual dispositions such as WtSC. The study was conducted in Chile, an ideal case to explore possible cohort effects because of the profound political changes experienced there in the past 50 years. Analysis of an original cross-sectional survey shows that—as expected—people who came of age in periods of political repression exhibit significantly higher levels of WtSC later in life compared with those who grew up during less repressive times.
In pursuit of a healthier and participatory democracy, scholars have long established the positiv... more In pursuit of a healthier and participatory democracy, scholars have long established the positive effects of social capital, values derived from resources embedded in social ties with others which characterize the structure of opportunity and action in communities. Today, social media afford members of digital communities the ability to relate in new ways. In these contexts, the question that arises is whether new forms of social capital associated with the use of social media are a mere extension of traditional social capital or if they are in fact a different construct with a unique and distinct palette of attributes and effects. This study introduces social media social capital as a new conceptual and empirical construct to complement face-to-face social capital. Based on a two-wave panel data set collected in the United States, this study tests whether social capital in social media and offline settings are indeed two distinct empirical constructs. Then, the article examines how these two modes of social capital may relate to different types of citizenship online and offline. Results show that social media social capital is empirically distinct from face-to-face social capital. In addition, the two constructs exhibit different patterns of effects over online and offline political participatory behaviors. Results are discussed in light of theoretical developments in the area of social capital and pro-democratic political engagement.
Media diaries of 36 Chilean adults were being collected as two disasters unfolded: an earthquake ... more Media diaries of 36 Chilean adults were being collected as two disasters unfolded: an earthquake on the northern coast and 11 days later a massive fire in Valparaíso. From an audience reception theoretical approach, these events provide a unique opportunity to compare people's engagement with media and responses to two mediated disasters. By complementing textual and computerized linguistic analyses, this study reveals that audiences' responses differ by type of disaster and proximity. Where earthquakes abound, people express more rational analyses of media quake coverage and more emotional responses to the fire. Also, proximity played an expected role with the fire but not the quake, suggesting that audiences' engagement with media events depends on the context and the type of disaster.
PURPOSE: This paper explores the relationship between social media use and protest participation ... more PURPOSE: This paper explores the relationship between social media use and protest participation in Latin America. It advances two questions. First, do social media increase the chances of protest participation at the individual level, as prior research shows for advanced democracies? Second, in a region with glaring economic and political inequalities, do social media deepen or reduce the gaps in protest participation that exist among men and women, the young and the old, different social classes, or people with varying levels of political engagement?
METHODOLOGY: The paper uses cross-sectional LAPOP (Latin American Public Opinion project) survey data from 2012 representing the adult population of 17 Latin American countries. It presents binary logistic regression models with protest participation as the dependent variable, social media use for political purposes as the main independent variable, control variables, and interactions.
RESULTS: Using social media for political purposes significantly increases protest chances –it is the second strongest predictor. Additionally, social media reduce protest gaps associated to individuals’ age, gender, psychological engagement with politics, and recruitment networks.
VALUE: First, the paper shows that the contribution of social media to collective protest travels beyond advanced democracies – it also holds for more unequal regions with weaker democratic trajectories like Latin America. Second, it shows that social media may mitigate participatory inequalities not only, as shown by past research, regarding institutional participation (e. g. voting), but also regarding contentious tactics.
This study examines changes in the association between social media use and protest behavior in a... more This study examines changes in the association between social media use and protest behavior in a context of growing social unrest among the younger population. It employs data from a repeated cross-sectional survey before, during and after the 2011 students’ demonstrations in Chile. The results suggest that Facebook and—to a lesser degree—Twitter are related to protest behavior, but this relationship is not constant. Rather, Facebook use becomes increasingly predictive of street protesting, whereas the impact of Twitter is only significant at the height of the student movement. Furthermore, the diffusion of social media has not altered major gaps on the likelihood of protesting. These findings highlight the value of studying the time dynamics of the social media-protest relationship.
Protest activity has become a central means for political change in Chile. We examine the associa... more Protest activity has become a central means for political change in Chile. We examine the association between social media use and youth protest, as well as mediating and moderating mechanisms of this relationship, using survey data collected in Chile in 2010. We found that Facebook use was associated significantly with protest activity, even after taking into account political grievances, material and psychological resources, values, and news media use. The link between overall Facebook use and protest activity was explained by using the social network for news and socializing rather than when it was used for
self-expression. Postmaterialist values and political ideologies were not found to moderate the association between Facebook use and protest.
El objetivo de este artículo es analizar cuáles son los principales factores relacionados con la ... more El objetivo de este artículo es analizar cuáles son los principales factores relacionados con la participación electoral y cívica de los jóvenes chilenos. Con especial énfasis se indagarán dos tipos de vínculos: 1) la posible influencia en la participación de los medios de comunicación tradicionales y de los medios sociales online; 2) si la presencia de valores postmaterialistas –siguiendo la definición de Ronald Inglehart– incide en las formas de relacionarse con los asuntos públicos.
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Papers by Andrés Scherman
comunicación por parte de las audiencias y las percepciones de representación a través de sus discursos. A través de una metodología cualitativa -que combinó el registro de diarios de vida con entrevistas en profundidad (N= 36)- este estudio reveló una brecha centro-periferia: las
audiencias definen de forma diferente lo “local” según estén en el centro (Santiago) o en la periferia (regiones). A su vez, las audiencias de la periferia se sienten poco representadas y cubiertas de una manera estereotípica por los medios nacionales, los cuales se concentran en las audiencias del centro.
characteristics of news organizations and the outlets where
journalists operate explain differences in media diversity. Based on
a content analysis of 16,281 news stories from Chilean television,
radio, print, online media and Twitter, this study examines
whether differences in source diversity remain stable across news
media platforms within the same medium. The findings show that
both platform type and medium significantly influence the
presence of source diversity at different levels. Our results speak
to the strong influence that each media platform has on how
journalists manage news balance and number of sources when
producing a story. They also provide strong evidence of the
importance of the macro organizational structure of the medium
for the type of sources included in the news. Likewise, our study
questions common assumptions as it reveals that online media do
not favor the presence of a greater diversity of sources and points
of view in the news and are associated with a lower degree of
diversity in general.
METHODOLOGY: The paper uses cross-sectional LAPOP (Latin American Public Opinion project) survey data from 2012 representing the adult population of 17 Latin American countries. It presents binary logistic regression models with protest participation as the dependent variable, social media use for political purposes as the main independent variable, control variables, and interactions.
RESULTS: Using social media for political purposes significantly increases protest chances –it is the second strongest predictor. Additionally, social media reduce protest gaps associated to individuals’ age, gender, psychological engagement with politics, and recruitment networks.
VALUE: First, the paper shows that the contribution of social media to collective protest travels beyond advanced democracies – it also holds for more unequal regions with weaker democratic trajectories like Latin America. Second, it shows that social media may mitigate participatory inequalities not only, as shown by past research, regarding institutional participation (e. g. voting), but also regarding contentious tactics.
self-expression. Postmaterialist values and political ideologies were not found to moderate the association between Facebook use and protest.
comunicación por parte de las audiencias y las percepciones de representación a través de sus discursos. A través de una metodología cualitativa -que combinó el registro de diarios de vida con entrevistas en profundidad (N= 36)- este estudio reveló una brecha centro-periferia: las
audiencias definen de forma diferente lo “local” según estén en el centro (Santiago) o en la periferia (regiones). A su vez, las audiencias de la periferia se sienten poco representadas y cubiertas de una manera estereotípica por los medios nacionales, los cuales se concentran en las audiencias del centro.
characteristics of news organizations and the outlets where
journalists operate explain differences in media diversity. Based on
a content analysis of 16,281 news stories from Chilean television,
radio, print, online media and Twitter, this study examines
whether differences in source diversity remain stable across news
media platforms within the same medium. The findings show that
both platform type and medium significantly influence the
presence of source diversity at different levels. Our results speak
to the strong influence that each media platform has on how
journalists manage news balance and number of sources when
producing a story. They also provide strong evidence of the
importance of the macro organizational structure of the medium
for the type of sources included in the news. Likewise, our study
questions common assumptions as it reveals that online media do
not favor the presence of a greater diversity of sources and points
of view in the news and are associated with a lower degree of
diversity in general.
METHODOLOGY: The paper uses cross-sectional LAPOP (Latin American Public Opinion project) survey data from 2012 representing the adult population of 17 Latin American countries. It presents binary logistic regression models with protest participation as the dependent variable, social media use for political purposes as the main independent variable, control variables, and interactions.
RESULTS: Using social media for political purposes significantly increases protest chances –it is the second strongest predictor. Additionally, social media reduce protest gaps associated to individuals’ age, gender, psychological engagement with politics, and recruitment networks.
VALUE: First, the paper shows that the contribution of social media to collective protest travels beyond advanced democracies – it also holds for more unequal regions with weaker democratic trajectories like Latin America. Second, it shows that social media may mitigate participatory inequalities not only, as shown by past research, regarding institutional participation (e. g. voting), but also regarding contentious tactics.
self-expression. Postmaterialist values and political ideologies were not found to moderate the association between Facebook use and protest.
A continuación revisaremos los principales hallazgos de las investigaciones realizadas a partir de la encuesta “Jóvenes, participación y consumo de medios” entre 2009 y 2012. El análisis de estos resulta- dos lo dividiremos en cuatro áreas: a) medios de comunicación y participación electoral; b) medios de comunicación y participación no institucional; c) diferencias de Facebook y Twitter en su impacto sobre la participación política; d) otras variables de interés.
Finalmente, se analizará la consistencia de los hallazgos obtenidos en las distintas investigaciones desarrolladas a partir de la encuesta y se discutirán las principales áreas donde sería recomendable concentrar los futuros esfuerzos de investigación.