Link between watching light entertainment TV and voting for populist politicians

People exposed to light entertainment television like soap operas may be more likely to vote for populist politicians according to a new study co-authored by an economist at Queen Mary University of London. The researchers investigated the political impact of light entertainment television in Italy over the last 30 years during the phased introduction of Silvio Berlusconi's commercial TV network Mediaset. They compared the voting behaviours of people who lived in regions where Mediaset was broadcast versus those where Berlusconi's network was unavailable. The researchers found that people who had access to Mediaset prior to 1985 - when the network only featured light entertainment - voted on average 1 percentage point more for Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, compared to municipalities that were exposed later as the network rolled out. The researchers found that the effect persisted for almost two decades and five elections. It is especially pronounced among older people and young people, although it affected these groups in very different ways. Author Dr Andrea Tesei from QMUL's School of Economics and Finance said: "Our results suggest that individuals exposed to entertainment TV as children are less cognitively sophisticated and less socio-politically engaged as adults, and ultimately more vulnerable to Berlusconi's populist rhetoric.