Politicized and Paranoid? Assessing Attitudinal Predictors of Alternative News Consumption

Abstract

The study of right-wing alternative news sources has moved to the center of scholarly attention recently. Such sources cater to news consumers characterized by extreme political views and mistrust toward mainstream news. However, research into the predictors of alternative news consumption is still scarce. We approach this gap by combining online tracking and survey data from 2,009 German panel participants. We find conspiratorial thinking and pro-Russian stance to be predictors of alternative news consumption, both in absolute and in relative terms. Our analysis thus contributes to a more nuanced understanding of alternative news consumers.