Agenda Setting, Public Opinion, and the Issue of Immigration Reform

Abstract

While the importance of agenda setting has been well-documented (Baumgartner and Jones 1995, Iyengar 1991), it is unclear whether its affect holds for issues that may not be salient to a significant portion of the public. We explore this puzzle by examining the issue of illegal immigration, as it is one policy that traditionally impacts those living in states along the U.S.-Mexico border more so than for those residing in non-border states. Our analyses of newspaper coverage of immigration and Gallup public opinion data over a twelve-month period (January-December 2006) provide considerable support for the agenda-setting theory. The volume of news coverage did increase following the protests and as such, the public perceived immigration as an important problem facing the country. These findings hold for individuals residing in both border and non-border states, suggesting that the power of agenda-setting holds across issues that may not be nationally salient to the entire American public.

Migrants, Minorities and the Media: Information, Representations and Participation in the Public Sphere

“…These excellent contributions notwithstanding, we still know little about how those who work in the media collect and convey information about migrants and minorities. Similarly, while we have a rich scholarship on public opinion about immigration and towards immigrants (see Ceobanu and Escandell 2010 for one review), we know less about how media shape attitudes and views related to immigrants and immigration (but see Vliegenthart 2007, 2009;Dunaway, Branton, and Abrajano 2010). Are migrant and minority issues covered accurately?…”

Selective Exposure to Cable News and Immigration in the U.S.: The Relationship Between FOX News, CNN, and Attitudes Toward Mexican Immigrants

“…The issue has been at the forefront of public debate in the last decade. For instance, the 2006 rallies for comprehensive immigration reform attracted millions of protesters across 102 cities (Balz & Fears, 2006;Dunaway, Branton, & Abrajano, 2010). Also, Arizona's 2010 legislation against undocumented immigrants has captured the attention of the media, the public, and policymakers (Riccardi, 2010).…”

The Influence of Social Protests on Issue Salience among Latinos

“…Undocumented1 immigration was not perceived as a major issue in the United States until the spring of 2006. Prior to that spring, undocumented immi gration was far down the list of salient issues on the pub lic's agenda (Brader, Valentino, and Suhay 2008;Dunaway, Branton, and Abrajano 2010). It did not even make the top five ranking of problems among Latino immigrants, who are arguably the segment of the population most closely associated or affected by undocumented immigration (Pew Hispanic Center 2004).…”