Mobile but Not Mobilized? Differential Gains from Mobile News Consumption for Citizens’ Political Knowledge and Campaign Participation

Abstract

Especially during election times, news is an indispensable means for citizens to make informed political decisions. The ubiquitous information access of mobile devices creates the potential for increasing news use among citizens in general and specifically during campaign time. However, little is known about the outcomes of this new way of accessing news, although research suggests that less attention and involvement are dedicated to news accessed on a mobile phone. This study therefore applies the differential gains perspective to mobile news use during the 2015 Danish national election campaign. We utilize a pre- and post-election panel survey and a smartphone-based media diary study among Danish voters (n = 1108) to test whether news app use and mobile browsing affect political knowledge and campaign participation differently than other types of campaign news exposure. Results suggest equal gains for citizens’ political knowledge, but differential gains for mobilizing effects of mobile news use.