Group Consciousness and Corrective Action: The Mediating Role of Perceived Media Bias and of Proattitudinal Selective Exposure

Abstract

This study examines the role that group consciousness plays in driving corrective action. Drawing from an online survey of Latinos in the United States (N = 588), it tests the relationships among group consciousness, perceived media bias, proattitudinal selective exposure, and political participation. Results show support for a serial mediation model where the relationship between group consciousness and political participation runs through perceptions of media bias and proattitudinal selective exposure. Proattitudinal selective exposure also mediates the relationship between group consciousness and political participation independently. Theoretical contributions to corrective action and the role of minority groups in American politics are discussed.