POLARIZED LENSES: PARTY IDENTIFICATION AND TENNESSEANS' RATINGS OF THE STATE AND NATIONAL ECONOMIES, 2004-2011

Abstract

Tichenor, Donahue & Olien's (1970) "knowledge gap" hypotheses asserts that members of higher socioeconomic status groups tend to acquire knowledge about public affairs from media at a faster rate than do members of lower socioeconomic status groups. In response, some theorists (Hindman, 2009) are expanding the knowledge gap hypothesis to consider "belief gaps" that pertain to politically contested facts and arise among groups defined more by ideological traits than by socioeconomic ones.

Based on data from 14 MTSU Poll Random Digit Dialing (RDD) telephone polls conducted in Tennessee between 2004 and 2011, this study hypothesizes that a belief gap will be evident between ratings of the national economy provided by self-identified Republicans, Democrats, and independents. Republicans rated the national economy better than did Democrats while a Republican occupied the White House and, conversely, Democrats rated the national economy better than did Republicans while a Democrat was in the White House.