Government Press Releases and Citizen Perceptions of Government Performance: Evidence from Google Trends Data

The “media-malaise” thesis argues that media coverage of government activities may have only a minimal or even negative effect on citizens’ perceptions of government performance. This contention is challenged by showing a positive association between government press releases and citizen perceptions. Two streams of empirical evidence are presented. First, a positive association is shown between the number of times the New York City mayor’s name appears in official city press releases and the volume of Internet searches for his name. Then, a positive correlation is shown between Internet search volume for the mayor’s name and the mayoral approval rating.