News Consumption of Political Stories Not Enough to Retain Political Knowledge

Teens Must Think About and Discuss Politics to Learn, MU Study Finds

Sept. 25, 2012

Story Contact(s):
Nathan Hurst, hurstn@missouri.edu, 573-882-6217 

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­—A strong democracy depends on smart voters who choose their leaders based on their knowledge of important political issues. One of the ways that Americans learn about politics is by following the news. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Journalism have found that simply following the news is not enough.

A panel survey involving more than 1,200 teenagers from 12 to 17 years of age found that adolescents learn more about politics when they think and talk about what they read or watch on the news. Edson Tandoc, a doctoral student at MU, found that adolescents who spend more time thinking and talking about the news with their peers and relatives tend to know more about political developments in the country.