INTELLIGENT OR IDIOT? ONE-WORD DESCRIPTIONS OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN THE 2012 GOP PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTION AND SECOND-LEVEL AGENDA SETTING

Abstract

Agenda-setting theory (McCombs and Shaw, 1972) says that the media are able to influence what individuals think about. Second-level agenda-setting theory (McCombs et al., 1997; McCombs & Reynolds, 2008) extends this concept to examine the salience of specific characteristics, or attributes, of objects depicted in media. This research examines the relationships between media coverage and public opinion data regarding the 2012 GOP primary candidates - Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul - and the 2012 general election candidates - Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Public opinion data were collected by the Pew Research Center asking participants to give a one-word description of the candidates, and attributes characterized in terms of ideology, competence, and integrity were selected. Media coverage of these candidates and selected attributes was reviewed for three days before each public opinion poll to determine whether significant relationships exist. Regarding relationships between media coverage and public opinion, significant relationships exist with some attributes and public opinion but not with all attributes. Further, there is evidence of a significant relationship across some attributes. These results are consistent with some other findings of second-level agenda-setting studies. Implications for future research are discussed.