The Conditional Relationship Between Active (Topical) News Avoidance and News Consumption Under Democratic Backsliding

Recent research has shown that, under certain circumstances, active news avoidance can be a situational strategy and topical in scope. It does not entail substantial reduction in news consumption. Against this background, this article extends the literature by examining how several factors may moderate the avoidance–consumption relationship under democratic backsliding. Survey data analysis shows that active topical news avoidance relates negatively to mainstream news use mainly among people who see the media as inefficacious, do not adapt well to difficult circumstances, and seldom engage in political communication via social media. Similar conditional relationships do not apply to alternative media exposure.