Linking Political TV Shows with Female Lead Characters to Political Engagement: The Roles of Parasocial Processes and Gender Identity

ABSTRACT

This study tests the relationship between viewing political TV shows with female lead characters and political engagement. It argues that parasocial processes provide the necessary link and gender identity is a critical moderating variable. Results of an in-lab experiment show that viewing a female lead character in a politically-driven plotline increases political self-efficacy, interest, and participation among individuals who identify as more feminine, and this effect is mediated by parasocial interactions with that character. Coupled with prior research, these results demonstrate that more feminine individuals may become more politically engaged through parasocial interactions and relationships with fictional female political leaders.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Notes

¹ Hoewe and Sherrill (2019) included transportation as a mediating variable preceding parasocial relationships in their model. Reexamining their data and removing transportation from their model still produces a well-fitting structural equation model, χ²(343, N = 218) = 518.29, p <.001; χ²/df = 1.51; RMSEA =.05 (90% confidence interval:.04 to.06); CFI =.97. Using a chi-square difference test, the model without transportation achieved a better level of fit than did the model that included it (Δ χ² = 207.73, DF = 144; p <.001). These results suggest that parasocial processes – not transportation – facilitate effects on political engagement.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Hoewe

Jennifer Hoewe (Ph.D., Penn State University) is an assistant professor within the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University. Her research focuses on media psychology and political communication.

Eric C. Wiemer

Eric C. Wiemer (M.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is a doctoral candidate in the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University. His research is concerned with political communication, media effects, and the relationship between political elites, the news media, and the public.

Tiwaladeoluwa Adekunle

Tiwaladeoluwa Adekunle (M.A., Purdue University) is a doctoral student in the Brian Lamb School of Communication. Her research focuses on how individuals and communities understand and organize around health, risk and crisis issues.

Rachel Barton

Rachel Barton (M.A., Purdue University) completed her master’s degree within the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University.

Janel Jett

Janel Jett (M.A., Purdue University) is a doctoral candidate in political science at Purdue University. Her research focuses on political communication and science, technology, and environmental policy.

Alexander Pijanowski

Alexander Pijanowski is a doctoral student within the Department of Political Science at Purdue University.