West LA Times

A recent study conducted by UCLA and Duke University reveals that detailed local journalism about aging infrastructure can boost voter support for additional infrastructure investment. The research, published in the journal Political Behavior, indicates that reading fictionalized samples of news coverage with specific local details about infrastructure maintenance requirements led to as much as 10% more electoral support for infrastructure spending compared to basic reporting.

"Local news reporting builds public support for infrastructure investments," said Megan Mullin, a UCLA political scientist and co-author of the study. Mullin's research focuses on environmental politics. She added that heat, floods, drought, and fire are placing new stress on aging and deteriorating infrastructure which must be maintained to protect communities against these growing climate risks.

The study’s authors noted that private ownership has cut or eliminated local news staff nationwide, reducing original reporting and local political stories while focusing on national news. This has resulted in a decline in the depth of reporting on infrastructure.

"Local newsroom capacity is critical to democracy," said co-author Andrew Trexler, a Duke University doctoral candidate studying political communication. "Our study shows that when newsrooms can commit resources to report more information about infrastructure conditions and failure risks, readers notice and are more willing to hold officials accountable for inaction, and more willing to support higher spending."

The study surveyed over 3,300 adults who read a news-style story about an upcoming election with an incumbent mayor, a mayoral challenger and a property tax increase averaging $40 annually to fund aging infrastructure. Participants then indicated how they would likely vote after reading different versions of the articles.

"Across the board, we saw more support for infrastructure spending when people read news coverage that provided context about infrastructure neglect and its consequences," Mullin said. "Empty newsrooms and AI reporting don’t provide communities with the information they need to make investments for their own health and security."