AP Syllabus focus:
‘Agenda setting occurs when traditional news media, new communication technologies, and social media shape how citizens acquire political information.’
Agenda setting explains why some political problems feel urgent while others fade from public attention. In AP Gov, it connects media content to what citizens notice, discuss, and learn before forming political judgements.
What agenda setting is (and is not)
Agenda setting describes how information environments influence issue salience—which topics people think matter most.
This model diagram presents agenda setting as a flow from media attention and emphasis to heightened public awareness and perceived importance of issues. By mapping the steps visually, it reinforces the idea that agenda setting primarily changes which issues are top-of-mind rather than directly changing people’s policy positions. Source
Agenda setting: The process by which media emphasis increases the perceived importance of certain issues among the public and policymakers.
Agenda setting is not the same as “persuasion” about which side is correct; it primarily shapes what people think about, not necessarily what they think.
Issue salience and limited attention
Citizens have limited time, interest, and political knowledge, so they rely on cues about what deserves attention.
Salience: The perceived importance or prominence of an issue when people evaluate politics and government.
When a topic receives repeated, prominent coverage, it becomes easier to recall, discuss, and use when evaluating leaders and policies.
How citizens learn about politics through media
Citizens learn political information through a mix of traditional news media, new communication technologies, and social media, each shaping exposure, repetition, and context.
This Pew Research Center chart compares major platforms (TikTok, X, Facebook, and Instagram) on two agenda-setting–relevant measures: how many users regularly get news there and whether users say news is a reason they use the platform. The side-by-side bars highlight that “information environments” differ across platforms, which can change what political topics people repeatedly encounter and remember. Source
Traditional news media
Traditional outlets (television news, newspapers, radio) affect learning by selecting and prioritising stories:
Story selection: choosing which issues receive coverage at all
Placement and prominence: headlines, lead segments, “above the fold” treatment
Frequency: repeating the same issue across days and programmes
Interpretation cues: labels, sources, and expert commentary that help audiences make sense of events
These patterns can concentrate public attention on a narrow set of national issues, especially during crises, elections, or major legislative conflicts.
New communication technologies
Digital delivery (websites, podcasts, push alerts, streaming) changes how people encounter politics:
On-demand access increases choice, letting citizens follow niche topics or avoid politics
Notifications and trending panels can rapidly elevate an issue’s visibility
Low-cost publishing allows more actors (campaigns, advocacy groups, officials) to distribute political information directly
As a result, agenda setting may come from journalists, but also from political elites and organised groups who can generate attention through coordinated online messaging.
Social media
Social platforms shape what citizens learn by mixing news, opinion, and peer communication in the same feed:
Virality and sharing elevate emotionally engaging or conflict-driven content
Influencers and networks act as informal editors for what peers see
Platform design (feeds, recommendations, trending lists) can amplify certain topics quickly
Social media can broaden participation in political discussion, but it can also produce uneven exposure—different groups may experience different “top issues” depending on their networks and followed accounts.
Key mechanisms that drive agenda setting
Agenda setting is powered by how information is filtered and emphasised across platforms.
Gatekeeping and sourcing
Editors, producers, and platform systems control attention by filtering content.
Gatekeeping: The process by which media organisations and platforms decide which information is selected, emphasised, or excluded from widespread circulation.
Citizens’ learning depends heavily on whose voices are quoted (officials, experts, eyewitnesses), which events are treated as “newsworthy,” and which perspectives are repeated.
Attention cues and “second-level” agenda setting
Beyond choosing topics, media can influence which attributes of an issue stand out (for example, costs, fairness, security, or effectiveness). This affects the considerations citizens use when thinking about a policy problem, even if they agree the issue is important.
Why agenda setting matters for democratic politics
Agenda setting shapes democratic responsiveness because:
Public opinion often focuses on the issues receiving sustained attention
Elected officials may respond to highly visible problems to demonstrate action
Citizens’ evaluations of government performance depend partly on which issues are most salient when they judge leaders
FAQ
They often compare media content with public opinion over time.
Common approaches include:
Content analysis (counting issue mentions and prominence)
Time-series polling (tracking “most important problem” responses)
Correlating shifts in coverage with shifts in salience while controlling for major events
Both can be true.
Algorithms can amplify certain topics via recommendations and trending features, but they also learn from user behaviour. The agenda that emerges is shaped by platform design choices (ranking signals, friction, moderation) as well as what users engage with.
Yes.
Influencers, creators, and networked communities can elevate issues by repeated posting, coordinated sharing, and framing conflicts in attention-grabbing formats. This can push traditional outlets to cover the topic after it becomes widely visible online.
Agenda setting concerns which topics gain attention; misinformation concerns whether claims are false or misleading.
A topic can be salient because of accurate reporting or because false content spreads widely. The mechanisms overlap (sharing, repetition), but the concepts are distinct.
Use intentional exposure habits.
Useful strategies include:
Following multiple credible outlets with different editorial priorities
Checking primary documents (speeches, bills, official data) when feasible
Turning off non-essential push alerts and using curated news digests
Separating “trending” content from verified reporting before forming opinions
Practice Questions
Define agenda setting and identify one way social media can contribute to it. (2 marks)
1 mark: Accurate definition of agenda setting (media emphasis increases perceived importance of issues).
1 mark: Identifies a valid social media mechanism (e.g., trending lists, sharing/virality, algorithmic feeds amplifying topics).
Explain how traditional news media and new communication technologies can shape what citizens learn about politics, and analyse one democratic consequence of agenda setting. (6 marks)
2 marks: Explains traditional media influence (e.g., story selection, prominence, repetition, editorial prioritisation).
2 marks: Explains new technology influence (e.g., push alerts, on-demand access, direct elite communication, rapid amplification).
2 marks: Analyses one democratic consequence (e.g., public pressure on policymakers, distorted priorities, uneven attention across groups), with clear linkage to salience.
