A new study published in Communication Research suggests that people often prefer news that aligns with their existing beliefs, a tendency known as “selective exposure.”
According to the new research, this habit is particularly noticeable in the United States, where partisan divides and “echo chambers” are becoming more prominent. This became increasingly extreme in the wake of the recent U.S. election.
Information Overload
In today’s digital age, people have access to almost unlimited information. With so many options, it’s easy to think that readers would naturally encounter various viewpoints, including those they may disagree with.
A recent study led by Professor Tetsuro Kobayashi from Waseda University, alongside researchers Ling Liu and Zhifan Zhang, wanted to determine if the prevalence of echo chambers was higher in the U.S. than in other countries. Their study examined how people in the US, Japan, and Hong Kong engage with news, revealing notable differences in how selective exposure occurs across these countries. The U.S. had the highest prevalence of readers preferring news aligned with their beliefs.
“In the US, this selective exposure is fueled by several factors,” Kobayashi said in a recent statement. “The country has a highly polarized and emotionally divided political environment, and many news outlets have clear political leanings.”
Moving Beyond the U.S.
While previous studies have examined news consumption, many focus solely on the U.S., where news outlets tend to have more political leanings. This makes it difficult to translate any findings to other countries, where news is more bipartisan.
“Since political communication research is predominantly US-centric, there is a tendency to apply American findings directly to the Asian context,” Kobayashi added. “Our study challenges this tendency and demonstrates the importance of research tailored to the Asian context.”
By examining news consumption in Japan and Hong Kong alongside the US, the researchers aimed to understand if selective exposure is a universal behavior or if specific national and cultural factors shape it.
Comparing Country to Country
To investigate these patterns, the researchers created mock news websites featuring political and non-political headlines. Participants from each country could choose which articles to read, including stories that either matched or contradicted their political beliefs. The researchers also tracked how much time participants spent on each type of article to better understand engagement levels.
The study found that Americans were likelier to select news stories that aligned with their views, reinforcing their beliefs. This pattern was much less common in Japan and Hong Kong, where readers seemed more open to reading stories from diverse perspectives.
The researchers saw that the more politically framed titles encouraged people to seek out news that supported their beliefs, creating echo chambers that intensified political differences and made it difficult for people with opposing views to engage in meaningful conversations.
In contrast, Japan’s political climate is less polarized, and its news outlets tend to be more neutral. This balanced media environment means that people are less likely to seek out news that aligns with their views and more likely to encounter a range of perspectives.
With its unique political and media environment, Hong Kong also showed less selective exposure than the US, though its media landscape presents its complexities.
What This Means for Media and Society
The findings suggest that selective exposure isn’t solely a result of human psychology or a natural tendency to avoid conflicting information. Instead, a country’s media and political environment greatly shape how people consume news.
“Our research challenges the assumption that selective exposure is just a natural human tendency,” Professor Kobayashi noted. “Beyond the desire to avoid cognitive dissonance, our results suggest that a country’s media and political environment play a critical role in shaping how individuals engage with news.”
These insights could be valuable for reducing political polarization and encouraging more balanced news consumption. Designing online and offline environments that present a wider range of viewpoints may help reduce the impact of echo chambers and foster healthier public discourse.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Science Communicator at JILA (a world-leading physics research institute) and a science writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with her on X or contact her via email at kenna@thedebrief.org