STUDYING FRAMING EFFECTS ON POLITICAL PREFERENCES: Existing Research and Lingering Questions

Over the last quarter-century, work on issue framing has evolved to the point where the presentation and impact of frames are well understood. This is true across distinct situations, including competitive scenarios, over-time dynamics, and individuals’ selective acquisition of information. Yet, what is not fully understood is how issue framing is grounded in the larger context of opinion formation. Indeed, in some ways, this has generated ambiguity about the very meaning of the term “framing.” In this chapter, we build on our previous work and attempt to locate issue framing in the larger opinion formation context. We do this by offering a broad conception of attitude formation, including differentiating framing from information acquisition. We also touch on how journalistic frames cohere with issue frames in opinion formation. The goal of our chapter is to clarify the role frames play in opinion formation and identify areas in need of further attention.