How News Media Relates to Political Dissatisfaction Over Time: Results from a 4-Wave-Panel Study Analyzing Reinforcing Processes Between Different Forms of Political Dissatisfaction and Their Relation to News Media Exposure and Media Trust

The present study addresses the need for longitudinal research on the relationship between political dissatisfaction and the media. By distinguishing between democratically legitimate and illegitimate forms of dissatisfaction, this paper examines the over-time relations between policy malaise (considered legitimate) and the acceptance of violence against politicians (deemed illegitimate) using three media variables: high-quality media use, low-quality media use, and media trust. Utilizing a secondary analysis of a 4-wave panel survey conducted in Germany from April 2021 to April 2022, the study employs six random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) for data analysis. RI-CLPMs distinguish stable between-person differences from within-person changes over time, facilitating a nuanced understanding of longitudinal dynamics. On the between-level, the study found that people who generally use more high-quality media and have higher levels of media trust generally score lower on both forms of political dissatisfaction. The findings on the within-level reveal that individual changes in policy malaise and acceptance of violence were influenced by preceding changes in high-quality media use. Furthermore, results indicate that changes in policy malaise partially influenced shifts in media trust. Additionally, the study demonstrated that higher levels of media trust cause reduced acceptance of violence, leading to increased trust, and vice versa. No effects were found for low-quality media use. The study concludes by discussing the conditions under which the media can act as a catalyst for either democratic legitimate or illegitimate political dissatisfaction.