Facts Speak Louder? Comparing the attention effects of moral and factual framing of political issues
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14230%2F25%3A00144441" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14230/25:00144441 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379425001027" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379425001027</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2025.102996" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.electstud.2025.102996</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Facts Speak Louder? Comparing the attention effects of moral and factual framing of political issues
Original language description
The media and political actors play a crucial role in shaping public attention, not only by selecting which issues to highlight but also by framing them in ways that influence public perception and engagement. Given the increasing prominence of moralized discourse in political communication, we examine whether moral framing is more effective in capturing public attention compared to factual framing, which relies on empirical evidence and rational argumentation. To examine this question, we conducted two preregistered experimental studies using different methods to measure attention: an eye-tracking experiment (N = 99) and a large-scale online survey (N = 1563). Participants were exposed to political issues that are not predominantly associated with either type of framing and were randomly assigned to conditions where the issues were framed either morally or factually. Our findings indicate that moral framing does not consistently attract more attention than factual framing. In fact, in some situations, factual frames were associated with slightly higher levels of audience attention. Understanding these dynamics is crucial in an age of information overload, when competition for public attention is intense and public debate is often dominated by emotional or value-driven messages. Additionally, our research contributes to ongoing debates about the implications of moral framing, particularly its potential to polarize audiences or divert attention from evidence-based decision-making.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
50601 - Political science
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GA23-07985S" target="_blank" >GA23-07985S: Same problem, different perception? An experimental research on attributes of political issues</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
ELECTORAL STUDIES
ISSN
0261-3794
e-ISSN
1873-6890
Volume of the periodical
98
Issue of the periodical within the volume
December
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
11
Pages from-to
1-11
UT code for WoS article
001573343500001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105015373945