Voter Learning and Interest in the 2000 Presidential Election: Did the Media Matter?

This study examines the relationships of exposure and attention to various news media, including the Internet, with information learned about the issue positions of candidates George Bush and Al Gore, interest in the 2000 election campaign, and intention to vote among a random sample of adult residents of Indiana who were interviewed by telephone in October and November 2000. The findings are compared with those of previous studies of the 1988, 1992, and 1996 presidential elections. They confirm the importance of television news and television debates as sources of issue information, despite criticisms, and the importance of paying attention to newspaper campaign news for voting.