The effects of strategic news on political cynicism and vote choice among young voters in a referendum

This study investigates the relationship between strategic news exposure and political cynicism and vote choice among young voters in the context of a referendum on an issue of European integration. Using a survey (n = 720) and a media content analysis, we link media use measures to indicators of media content so as to provide a compelling link between exposure to media content and cynicism. As hypothesized, we find a positive relationship between exposure to strategically framed campaign coverage and political cynicism. In addition, we find that cynicism is related to voting "No," which suggests that cynicism served as an intervening factor in the relationship between media exposure and a No vote. The results are discussed in the light of extant research on media, political cynicism, and electoral behavior in the case of direct democracy.