Understanding the psychological effects of political news engagement among Latinos: Vicarious discrimination and anxiety during the 2020 election

Abstract

Engagement with political news is vital for promoting civic participation and political knowledge but can negatively affect individuals’ mental health, including provoking anxiety. We examine how exposure to racial discrimination in news coverage (i.e., vicarious discrimination) may contribute to these negative effects among Latinos during the 2020 U.S. election. One hundred and eight Latinos completed daily measurements of political news engagement, vicarious discrimination, and anxiety-related symptoms for 14 days surrounding the election. Using disaggregated multilevel mediation models, we found that, on days when people engaged more with political news, they reported higher anxiety-related symptoms than on days when they engaged less (within-person relationship), but people who engaged more with political news on average did not report higher anxiety-related symptoms relative to those who engaged less with political news on average (between-person relationship). Additionally, the within-person relationship was mediated by experiences of vicarious discrimination, suggesting engaging with political news serves as an important source of exposure to racial discrimination experienced by others.