Does the decline of local newspapers impact voter turnout? Evidence from a natural experiment in Japan.

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  • KANEKO Tomoki
    Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, The University of Tokyo Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

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Other Title
  • 地方紙の普及率低下は投票率を下落させるのか？ :
  • 鹿児島新報の廃刊という自然実験的事例と参院選パネルデータの分析

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<p>Since 2000, newspaper circulations in Japan have rapidly declined, raising concerns about the negative impact on civic engagement. This article argues that the decline in the penetration rates of local newspapers have had a negative effect on voter turnout. I first use a natural experiment to investigate outcomes of the unexpected closure of The Kagoshima-Shinpo, a local newspaper in Kagoshima Prefecture, just prior to the Upper House election of 2004. I find that the extinction of this newspaper was associated with low voter turnout in the 2004 election, especially in districts where the paper had a higher penetration rate. I then analyze prefecture-level panel data to identify correlations between the penetration rates of local and national newspapers, and voter turnout in Upper House elections since 2001. I find that voter turnout was lower in prefectures that had a smaller penetration rate of local newspapers. These results suggest that local newspapers in Japan play an important role in stimulating political participation among citizens.</p>

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