Page 161 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States

v

VOTER NEED FOR ORIENTATION. Partisan orientation has consistently
been demonstrated to be the major factor that structures voting decisions. How-
ever, the increasing shift toward more independent voting habits among the
American electorate since the 1950s has resulted in higher levels of uncertainty
about voter decisions during election campaigns. Research by David Weaver
and Maxwell McCombs has indicated that the media have considerable influence
on the decisions of independent voters because of their greater ' 'need for ori-
entation," as they termed it, during election campaigns.
Weaver and McCombs conceptualized the need for orientation as a multidi-
mensional variable related to voters' interest in an election campaign and how
uncertain they are about how they will vote. Those with high interest in a cam-
paign coupled with a high degree of uncertainty about their vote choice are
classified as having a high need for orientation. Moderate need for orientation
is indicated by either high interest or low uncertainty or low interest and high
uncertainty. Voters with low interest and uncertainty are rated as low in need
for orientation.
Weaver and McCombs have found that voters with a high need for orientation
tend to discuss more often and consider important campaign issues receiving
the heaviest coverage in the media, especially in the later stages of campaigns.
Furthermore, voters high in need for orientation are more likely than other voters
to claim the issues are more important than candidate image or party affiliation
in determining how they vote.
SOURCES: David H. Weaver, "Political Issues and Voter Need for Orientation," in
Donald L. Shaw and Maxwell E. McCombs, eds., The Emergence of Political Issues:
The Agenda-Setting Function of the Press, 1973; David H. Weaver, Doris Graber, Max-
well E. McCombs, and Chaim H. Eyal, Media Agenda-Setting in a Presidential Election:
Issues, Images and Interest, 1981.
Kim A. Smith and Milena Karagyazova