Understanding news consumption preference from a dual-system perspective
(A2019-9608)

AUTHORS

Dunia Harajli, Lebanese American University; Imad Bou-Hamad, American University of Beirut

KEYWORDS

News consumption; Decision-making; Dual-process theory

ABSTRACT

Purpose- To perform an exploratory analysis to investigate the demographic/socio-cultural variables that affect the dual-process reasoning of partisan viewers in a non-Western country when watching news. Design/methodology/approach – The dual-process reasoning theory involves unconscious thought (System 1) and controlled thought (System 2). Utilizing a structured questionnaire survey and logistic regression analysis, this study reports evidence from a sample of 409 partisan viewers. Findings –Education, income, and religion significantly influence viewer’s choice of whether to use System 1 or System 2 for news consumption. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to just one type of news platform (TV). Practical implications – Understanding the role of a dual-system approach in news consumption can help in developing a marketing media focus that specifically targets System 1 or System 2 reasoning processes. Originality/value – To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore how the dual-process reasoning theory affects news consumption preferences.