Abstract
This paper explores the question, “Does watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart make young people more politically active?” Research shows that people who are more informed, efficacious, interested, and participatory are more likely to vote. This paper hypothesizes that young people who watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for entertainment are more likely to vote because they become more informed, feel more efficacious, become more interested, and participate more in politics. Students at the University of North Carolina Asheville were surveyed about their political engagement, media consumption, and voting behavior following the 2014 Midterm elections. The evidence found to supports the hypothesis that those who watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart are more likely to vote through the causal mechanisms of knowledge and participation.
How to Cite
Collman, R., (2015) “Comedy, News, and Voting: How The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Influences Young People’s Political Participation”, Capstone, The UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship 28(1).
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