| This study examines how different media environments are associated with confidence in
the United States Supreme Court. Using data from the American National Election Studies 2016,
2020, and 2024 panel waves, this study examines whether confidence in the Supreme Court differs
across online news, television news, newspaper news, and major social media platforms. This
study also tests whether the relationship between online news exposure and confidence in the
Supreme Court varies across age groups. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models with
political and demographic controls were used to examine the relationship between media exposure
and confidence in the Supreme Court. The findings show that online news exposure is associated
with lower confidence in the Supreme Court, while television news exposure and newspaper news
exposure are associated with higher confidence. The negative relationship between online news
exposure and confidence in the Supreme Court is strongest among younger adults and becomes
weaker among older age groups. The platform-specific analysis shows that lower confidence is
concentrated among users of X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and TikTok, while Facebook,
Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat do not show statistically significant relationships. Trust in
news media is the strongest positive predictor of confidence in the Supreme Court across all
models. This study concludes that confidence in the Supreme Court is shaped not only by political
attitudes but also by the media environments through which citizens learn about it.
Keywords: United States Supreme Court, confidence in the Supreme Court, online news exposure,
social media platforms, trust in news media. |