Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Issue framing prevails in politics as one of the most important means of elite influence on public opinion. While research on issue framing effects has matured and illuminated the conditionality of framing effects, we still have a very limited knowledge of how citizens respond to issue frames in the common situation in politics where issue frames are sponsored by visible political groups. We investigate effects of frames explicitly sponsored by a political party. Based on two survey experiments with a nationally representative sample (N = 1,618), we find that framing effects are highly dependent on a match between party sponsor and receivers’ party attachments. Political parties can exert strong influence on opinion among their supporters while they face larger constraints in influencing out-partisans. Furthermore, we find party framing effects to be moderated by receivers’ political awareness with the most politically aware being most sensitive to who promotes the frame.