The role of the mainstream media in former Barack Obama voters' decision to vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 American presidential election

Abstract

Much has been made about Donald Trump’s overwhelming media presence during the 2016 American presidential campaign. Indeed, Trump’s volume of earned media was greater than his opponent, Hillary Clinton, and predecessor, Barack Obama. But how did that matter in terms of influencing voter behaviour? This dissertation specifically examines former Obama voters that voted for Trump to understand how the media played a role in their decision to vote for a candidate that differed from Obama not only in party, but in character and ideals as well. The research relies on responses from 27 Obama-Trump voters, encompassing seven interviews and transcripts of two existing focus groups of ten people each. Together, their responses revealed how participants relied heavily on their levels of trust, prior experiences and beliefs, group identity and how they felt about candidates on a personal level in interpreting media messages during the campaign. Their responses coalesced on three major themes, which demonstrated that the media mattered less than candidates’ messaging and personalities. However, the media was important in terms of the negative attitudes participants held for it as an institution, and their beliefs that the media content was biased, which served to enhance existing negative attitudes towards Clinton and positive attitudes towards Trump.