Citizen Newsmakers Discuss Candidate Character the Most
Chart shows distribution of topics discussed by citizen newsmakers. Time frame is Nov 1 – May 15.
Citizen newsmakers discuss candidate personality (Character) over 33% of the time when quoted. Discussion of poll position and horse race (Position), takes up only 15% or citizen statements. The top three policy issues discussed by citizens – economy, social issues, and healthcare – only consume 16% of citizen statements combined. Therefore, either citizens are extremely focused on candidate personality as a deciding factor in their vote and vocalize their opinions to the media, or the media has created this narrative by looking to citizen newsmakers for opinions on candidate personality.
