TV in Times of Political Uncertainty: Evidence from the 2017 Presidential Election in Kenya

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of the staggered introduction of digital television in Kenya between 2013 and 2017 on electoral behavior in times of political uncertainty. I construct a geocoded dataset of Kenyan polling stations and TV reception. After studying the determinants of signal availability at a fine-grained level, I estimate a first difference model to measure the impact of exposure to TV on remobilization after the nullification of the 2017 presidential election. The effect of TV is heterogeneous: turnout is lowered by 2% in pro-opposition regions while it amplifies mobilization in pro-incumbent bastions (+4%). The effect is exacerbated when voters have previously been exposed to political violence. Applying text analysis methods, I show that TV channels widely covered the crisis: these editorial choices could have amplified voters’ risk perception. I also find evidence of collective exposure to TV as another channel of TV influence on social groups.