Jay D Hmielowski

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Florda

Media exposure can shape audience perceptions surrounding novel innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and could influence whether they share information about AI with others online. This study examines the indirect association between exposure to AI in the media and information sharing about AI online. We surveyed 567 US citizens aged...

Artificial intelligence is changing industry globally. It is also having both positive and negative effects on society. People often learn about technology through media, and so news about AI could have significant impacts on public perceptions of AI. Employing agenda-setting theory, we explore associations between attention to AI news and attitude...

In this paper, we examine media use in the aftermath of the 2004, 2012, and 2020 presidential elections in the United States. Specifically, we test whether members of the party who won the election bask in reflected glory (BIRG; i.e., seek out pro-attitudinal media after preferred candidate wins) or whether members of the losing party cut off refle...

In this article, we examine the relationship between news media use and levels of psychological distance associated with COVID-19. Our findings suggest that conservative media use is associated with greater perceived distance to the disease, while less partisan news use is associated with a smaller perceived distance. Moreover, perceived distance i...

In this article, using two data sets, we examine whether place-based identity correlates with feelings toward journalists. Next, we examine whether the importance of a place-based identity moderates the relationship between place-based identity and feelings toward journalists. Finally, we examine the conditional indirect correlation between place-b...

This study examines the question of asymmetry/symmetry regarding the use of language in partisan media outlets in the US. Some research has suggested that conservatives and conservative media are unique in how they present information to their audience, positing that conservatives use simpler, more uncivil language. Others have noted that some of t...

In this paper, we extend the work that has been done examining the influence of interpersonal communication on people’s trust in scientists and environmentalists and whether these levels of trust are associated with support for specific science and environmental policies. Previous work has shown that discussions with others can influence perception...

Developing artificial intelligence (AI) equitably necessitates understanding how nonexperts conceptualize and share news about technoscientific risk. We examine a model predicting AI information sharing online from an interaction of framing strategies, through psychological proximity to the impacts of AI and perceived AI risk. A panel of N = 412 pa...

In this article, we test a dynamic intracommunication process looking at the relationships between interpersonal discussion, perceived credibility of partisan media, and partisan media use. Using the theoretical foundation of hostile media perceptions, with a specific focus on relative hostile media, we examine whether interpersonal communication a...

In today’s increasingly polarized political environment, people are becoming resistant to persuasive messages, which creates challenges for those communicating about environmental issues to the public. Scholars have noted that opinion-challenging information could either be ineffective or lead to boomerang effects. As a result, research has started...

In this study, we use Social Identity Theory to examine whether political ideology, where people live, and time correlate with trust in news media in the US. Moreover, we examine whether the correlation between ideology and where a person lives with trust in the press varies over time. We also examine a three-way interaction to determine if decreas...

This study examines both the antecedents and consequences of partisan misperceptions during the 2016 US Presidential election using a three-wave panel study collected by YouGov. Both cross-sectionally and over time, this study examines the relationships between both partisan media use and media trust on misperceptions. In addition, it examines the...

In this article we revisit the gateway hypothesis, which argues that political satire programs open the door to people using more hard news content. Using overtime survey data, we examine whether use of satire leads people to use more cable news. Although our cross-sectional analyses replicate previous results attempting to assess the gateway hypot...

Public opinion on critical issues, such as technology deployment aimed at reducing greenhouse gases or increasing energy efficiency, may be impacted through information disseminated through the media. It is therefore increasingly important to understand the role media plays in spreading misinformation to the public. Through this study, we add to th...

In this study, we use an information utility framework to examine people’s communication behaviors during presidential elections. Data from the National Annenberg Election Study (2004, 2008) and Google Trends (2012, 2016) reveal increases in several communication behaviors (e.g., attention to campaign information, discussing politics, internet sear...

There is growing evidence that partisan media could be contributing to the increasing polarization among the public in the United States. Scholars have recently debated whether both liberal and conservative media are contributing to polarization symmetrically or if conservative media is the primary source of polarization. We offer tests of reinforc...

In a recent article, van der Linden, Maibach, and Leiserowitz ([2019]. Exposure to Scientific Consensus Does Not Cause Psychological Reactance. Environmental Communication, 1–8) claim that exposure to a consensus message on climate change does not cause psychological reactance. In doing so, they provide a critique and “replication” of our recently...

Energy consumers have been introduced to numerous technologies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the efficiency of electrical systems. The introduction of smart meters into the electrical grid could increase energy efficiency, decrease electrical costs for consumers, and potentially contribute to lower greenhouse gas emission...

Understanding the effects of comments in online discussion spaces is gaining traction in the communication literature. Although there is ample research addressing potential negative effects of being exposed to uncivil comments, there is little research examining the effects of civil comments. In addition, more research is needed to address which va...

Using the theoretical framework of the Reinforcing Spirals Model, we examine over-time relationships between partisan political discussion and affective political polarization using two three-wave datasets collected during the 2016 and 2012 US Presidential Elections. Our results during both election cycles indicated that higher levels of polarizati...

Scholars continue to search for solutions to shift climate change skeptics’ views on climate science and policy. However, research has shown that certain audiences are resistant to change regarding environmental issues. To explore this issue further, we examine the presence of reactance among different audiences in response to simple, yet prominent...

Recent advances in automotive technology have made fully automated self-driving cars technologically feasible. Despite offering many benefits such as increased safety, improved fuel efficiency, and greater disability access, public support for self-driving cars remains low. While previous studies find that demographic factors such as age and sex in...

Americans’ concern about water quality has increased over the years. Indeed, several water issues made national news coverage during the past few years, such as lead in Flint, Michigan, algae blooms in Florida, and water quality at the Rio Olympics. In this study, we test two alternate paths of engagement relative to how people respond to water pro...

Public support for energy systems is a critical factor in the development and deployment of electricity-generating technologies. The publics’ support for energy developments may be driven by numerous factors, including the risks and benefits associated with the technology. It is well established that an important component in the deployment of ener...

This article attempts to connect literatures from the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model and cultural cognition theory. We do this by assessing the relationship between the two prominent cultural cognition variables (i.e., group and grid) and risk perceptions. We then examine whether these risk perceptions are associated with thre...

This study examines the role of skepticism as a source of news media use and online opinion expression. Data from a national online panel of participants show that skepticism is related to increases in news media use, which in turn positively predicts online opinion expression. Data further indicate that this indirect link between skepticism and on...

Internet access provides a number of ways to read, share, and discuss politics. However, the political benefits from technology are most likely afforded to those with greater Internet skill, political interest, and education. This study used nationally representative cross-sectional survey data collected during the 2016 U.S. general election to inv...

The rise of social media, and specifically Facebook, as a dominant force in the flow of news in the United States has led to concern that people incur greater isolation from diverse perspectives through filter bubbles (from algorithmic filtering) and echo chambers (from an information environment populated by social recommendations coming from over...

This study uses uncertainty theories to examine the relationship between presidential electoral ambivalence and three political belief variables: internal efficacy, skepticism, and apathy. We propose that the relationship between ambivalence, which is an indicator of uncertainty, and information-seeking intentions should be mediated by our politica...

Objectives: We explored the influences of medical drama viewing on health behaviors and emotions, and examined the role of self-efficacy in medical drama programming. Methods: A single-factor, 2-condition experimental design that manipulated self-efficacy levels was adopted. A total of 131 female undergraduate students who were likely involved w...

This entry provides an overview of secondary data analysis. It describes what constitutes secondary data analysis, the benefits of secondary data analysis, and the pitfalls of secondary data analysis. Finally, it proves some issues that scholars should think about before diving into a secondary data analysis project.

In this paper, we apply the spiral of silence theory to the study of partisan media and political participation. Our results show consuming supportive partisan news outlets is associated with perceiving that other people share one’s opinions. In addition, levels of perceived support are associated with the likelihood of sharing opinions in online c...

Social media users are able to read, share, and discuss news online with other people coming from diverse contexts in their lives, including family members, co-workers, and friends. Past research has indicated that “context collapse” occurs when people must imagine and negotiate interacting with a large and diverse online audience. Using survey dat...

Although prior research has identified communication strategies for reducing climate change skepticism, recent research suggests such approaches can backfire. To explore this issue, we report on a preliminary study investigating two prominent messaging styles: consensus and targeted messages. While consensus messaging did not produce significant ef...

Research has shown that holding conflicted attitudes (ambivalence) about political decisions may lead people to act as ideal citizens. One example of this normatively ideal behavior is seen in research linking ambivalence to information seeking. To expand on this line of inquiry, this study examines the over-time relationship between ambivalence an...

This paper uses a national online survey to examine whether political ideology moderates the indirect effects of conservative and non-conservative media use through intra-attitudinal consistency (i.e., ambivalence) and strength of policy position (i.e., how strongly people support or oppose mitigation policies) on intention to take political action...

Scholars have emphasized the importance of an informed citizenry for a healthy democracy. As a result, research has examined whether campaign information fosters positive or negative democratic outcomes. This article examines the relationship between information seeking and skepticism. We also examine whether skepticism leads to democratically bene...

Increased access to information poses a threat to authoritarian rulers’ hold on power. In this article, we assess the relationship between use of the Internet and foreign media on regime support in China using data from the Asian Barometer survey. Based on the O-S-O-R model, we examine whether use of the Internet and foreign media correlate with lo...

Recent studies have shown evidence of increasing levels of attitude polarization in the United States. This study adds to this line of inquiry by examining whether important structural changes to the media system in 1996, which included the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the introduction of Fox News, affected TV news’ contributio...

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the relationship between verbal aggression and uncivil media attention on political flaming. More specifically, this paper examines whether the use of uncivil media programming is associated with the perceived acceptability and intention to engage in aggressive online discussions (i.e., online political...

Communication scholars have examined the potential pitfalls and rewards associated with the ability to communicate in online spaces. We continue in that line of research by proposing a mediated moderated communication process model focused on what conditions lead people to engage in aggressive online communication behaviors, otherwise known as flam...

Examining the impact of various media sources on knowledge has a long tradition in political communication. Although much of the extant research focuses on the impact of traditional media on factual knowledge, research is expanding to include a variety of media sources and multiple dimensions of knowledge, in addition to understanding processes tha...

This study tests a model of reinforcing spirals in the context of global warming, using a 2-wave, within-subjects panel survey with a representative sample of Americans. Results show that, within waves, conservative media use is negatively related to global warming belief certainty and support for mitigation policies, while nonconservative media us...

Communication scholars have both lauded and questioned the Internet’s role in facilitating democracy. However, few studies have examined aggressive communication behavior in online political discussion spaces. Two studies were conducted to examine use of aggressive discussion behaviors online, otherwise known as flaming. Study one utilized a survey...

An 11-item Affinity for Political Humor (AFPH) scale is theorized as a higher-order latent factor with four lower-order latent factors (incongruity, superiority, anxiety reduction, and social connection). The theorized measurement model and several alternative models are tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In addition, reliability and...

There is a growing divide in how conservatives and liberals in the USA understand the issue of global warming. Prior research suggests that the American public's reliance on partisan media contributes to this gap. However, researchers have yet to identify intervening variables to explain the relationship between media use and public opinion about g...

This study explores the role of social capital in the spiral of silence process and investigates whether (1) individual-level indicators of social capital are associated with willingness to express opinions, (2) individual-level indicators of social capital are associated with the perception that others support one’s opinions, and (3) perceived sup...

The majority of political communication research either studies a single media outlet in isolation of other outlets or focuses on the competing effects of multiple outlets. This study uses 2004 National Annenberg Election Survey data to go beyond these typical approaches to show the moderation-based complementary effects of two-sided messages (e.g....

News outlets serve democratic norms by providing a wide range of viewpoints, including opinions from the public. This study examined opinion expression in online reader posts and letters to the editor in a community facing social conflict. Analysis of opinion expression about the Jena Six showed more balance in both the range and tone of opinions f...

Much recent debate in political communication has centered on the influence of ideologically oriented media outlets. Some argue that the current media environment is creating partisan echo chambers, while others contend that today’s political media afford citizens increased contact with a diverse range of opinion. The current study seeks to clarify...

Overall, majorities of Americans say that global warming and clean energy should be among the nation’s priorities, want more action by elected officials, corporations and citizens themselves, and support a variety of climate change and energy policies, including holding fossil fuel companies responsible for all the “hidden costs” of their products....

In March 2012 we conducted a nationally representative survey and found that a large majority of Americans say they personally experienced an extreme weather event or natural disaster in the past year. A majority of Americans also say the weather in the United States is getting worse and many report that extreme weather in their own local area has...

We conducted a nationally representative survey (n = 1,008) to assess public climate change understanding, risk perceptions, policy support, and climate and energy-related behaviors from March 12, 2012 – March 30, 2012. This report describes Americans’ actions to conserve energy, reduce waste, and limit global warming drawing on this and our prior...

This report extends and updates an ongoing program of research analyzing Americans’ interpretations of and responses to climate change. The research segments the American public into six audiences that range along a spectrum of concern and issue engagement from the Alarmed , who are convinced of the reality and danger of climate change and highly s...

This report, “Politics & Global Warming”, details how Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and members of the Tea Party respond to the issue of global warming. The Tea Party has become an important new player in American politics, so this report for the first time separates their views on global warming from the traditional political categories of...

Content analyses have focused on the messages offered in political TV satire, and the communication discipline is amassing solid empirical evidence concerning a range of effects derived from this style of programming. However, there is remarkably little understanding of who is tuning in to view political TV satire beyond the audience being dominate...

This study extends political humor effects research by focusing on two distinct types of satire, juvenalian and horatian. Theoretical arguments grounded in the elaboration likelihood model culminated in the positing of a series of interactions between message (juvenalian, horatian, traditional opinion-editorial) and recipient ability (high, low) re...

To test the assumption of a deep cultural divide between Canada and the United States, the researchers employed critical discourse analysis to examine the texts of one U.S. and one Canadian newspaper as artifacts and productions of the two countries' cultural inclinations toward international conflict and peace. The authors found differences in the...