Exploring the direct and indirect effects of elite influence on public opinion

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 11; p. e0257335
• Main Authors: Santoro, Lauren Ratliff, Assaf, Elias, Bond, Robert M, Cranmer, Skyler J, Kaizar, Eloise E, Sivakoff, David J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 19.11.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Attitudes; Biology and Life Sciences; Computer and Information Sciences; Elite (Social sciences); Engineering and Technology; Evaluation; Funding; Government; Humans; Influence; Interest groups; Investments; Longitudinal Studies; Messages; Peers; Physical Sciences; Political science; Politics; Private Sector; Public Opinion; Public policy; Research facilities; Social interactions; Social networks; Social organization; Social research; Social Sciences; Students; United States; United States > US; Ohio
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257335

Political elites both respond to public opinion and influence it. Elite policy messages can shape individual policy attitudes, but the extent to which they do is difficult to measure in a dynamic information environment. Furthermore, policy messages are not absorbed in isolation, but spread through the social networks in which individuals are embedded, and their effects must be evaluated in light of how they spread across social environments. Using a sample of 358 participants across thirty student organizations at a large Midwestern research university, we experimentally investigate how real social groups consume and share elite information when evaluating a relatively unfamiliar policy area. We find a significant, direct effect of elite policy messages on individuals' policy attitudes. However, we find no evidence that policy attitudes are impacted indirectly by elite messages filtered through individuals' social networks. Results illustrate the power of elite influence over public opinion.