Political Dynamics of Framing (WP-12-13)
Samara Klar, Joshua Robison, and James Druckman
The manner in which elites frame an issue—the arguments and considerations they focus upon as important for the issue at hand—plays an important role in shaping public opinion. In this working paper, the authors explore this process by reviewing relevant research on why elites frame particular issues they way they do and how aspects of the political environment, such as partisan polarization and media choice, influence how effective these frames are in affecting political preferences. The researchers end by discussing areas ripe for further research and consider some of the normative implications this process has for democratic politics.