Media and political participation: fostering inclusive governance
Does media increase political participation? This is a question that has been on the minds of politicians ever since the media has proved it influence on people. BBC is one of the major media sources that tried to answer that question.
Using quantitative data from seven countries (Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Myanmar, Tanzania and Sierra Leone), BBC Media Action tried to analyze the rates of participation of those who regularly consume media and those who don’t. The results were simple and consistent: people who listen or watch BBC are more politically active than those who don’t. There is a strong correlation between consuming media and political participation of people.
The reasons why this phenomenon takes place is simple as well: media is a source of knowledge (even if it is biased, it is some knowledge, after all), and people are more likely to participate in something that they are familiar with. This is another proof of how media shapes politics.
Read more on the issue: https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/research/reports/media-and-political-participation
Media and Politics 