Dr. Jay Hmielowski and Dr. Eliana DuBosar researched how the places that people come from played a role in how they perceived and trusted journalists and the media.
A pilot study was conducted in 2019 followed by a time series study in 2020 that included a total sample of 7,545 participants.
Key findings include:
— Respondents who lived in rural areas held less positive feelings toward journalists compared to respondents who lived in urban areas.
—- The gap between rural and urban was higher amongst those who placed more importance on their place-based identities.
—- Respondents who identified as “country people” reported less positive feelings toward journalists compared with “suburban” and “city” people.
— Respondents that felt more positive feelings toward journalists among urban residents were more likely to use print and TV news outlets compared to those who identified as rural residents.
— Small town and suburban respondents held more moderate feelings toward journalists, regardless of the importance placed on their place-identity.
Find the original study here.
