First Advisor

Chistopher Shortell

Date of Award

Summer 8-15-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Political Science and University Honors

Department

Political Science

Language

English

Subjects

Supreme Court, Polarization, Legitimacy, News Media, Social Media, Public Sentiment

Abstract

This thesis observed how information sources may have a polarizing effect on perceptions of Supreme Court legitimacy. The focus of the study was to measure whether social media had a stronger effect on peoples' perception of Supreme Court legitimacy when compared to other forms information sources. This study may significantly determine how support for the Supreme Court can fluctuate depending on both the platform of information distribution and the content of the information. This study used an anonymous survey to canvas sentiment about the Supreme Court in the Portland Metro Area. The initial findings suggest that those who use social media as their primary source of information regarding the Supreme Court have significantly lower opinion of the Court's legitimacy than those who use other information sources. This demonstrates that there may be a higher rate of polarization of opinions about the Supreme Court when individuals use social media. This implies that the information on and use of social media is contributing to the Supreme Court's loss of legitimacy in recent polling.

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42466

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