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Can we trust measures of trust? Measurement invariance in trust in EU news media
[journal article]
Abstract Trust in the news media received wide scholarly attention for almost a century, which was further boosted as a result of recent developments in the media landscape and changes in how news is made and consumed. Despite that, the conceptualization of trust in the news media is still debated, and its m... view more
Trust in the news media received wide scholarly attention for almost a century, which was further boosted as a result of recent developments in the media landscape and changes in how news is made and consumed. Despite that, the conceptualization of trust in the news media is still debated, and its measurement comparability has not yet been established. In this paper, I build up on earlier conceptualizations of trust in the news media, and test three theoretically derived measurement models to determine their cross-cultural equivalence in 28 EU countries. Using Eurobarometer data, I test the validity and comparability of these measurements employing multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The findings indicate that trust is a unidimensional latent construct, equally interpreted across contexts. People's level of trust in the news media reflects their general attitude to the news stories and reporters in all sources of media they are exposed to. While bifactorial measurements of news media trust, differentiating between legacy and online sources, have some merit in single case-studies, they are non-invariant and therefore non comparable. This means that any cross-population differences found employing them are likely a function of measurement idiosyncrasies or other unknown factors.... view less
Keywords
Eurobarometer; confidence; news; measurement; EU; validity; online media; broadcasting; print media
Classification
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods
Impact Research, Recipient Research
Free Keywords
trust in news media; measurement invariance; multi-group confirmatory factor analysis; cross-context comparison; Flash Eurobarometer 464 (Fake News and Disinformation Online) (ZA6934 v1.0.0)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 1-21
Journal
SN Social Sciences, 2 (2022) 2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00534-1
ISSN
2662-9283
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed