Mass media and attitudes to inequality

We aim to investigate which is the potential of various mass media to influence individuals’ attitude to inequality. A theoretical model is proposed to formalize how preferences towards redistribution are formed. It is then tested empirically by using the data from the European Social Survey offering information on the time people spend watching TV and using internet. Mass media are assumed to affect the value people attach to equality, and in particular equality of opportunity, which is reflected in their attitude towards income redistribution. This process is modeled by using the ordered probit technique and the conditional mixed process estimator. Moreover, by estimating the dose-response function, we highlight that the relation between exposure to mass media and attitudes to inequality is non-linear. We also test the impact of various media market and personal characteristics and point out some cross-country differences is the way attitudes to inequality are shaped