LAUSR

ABSTRACT Solidarity among society is considered crucial to tackle the corona pandemic. With the crisis evoking a high need for orientation, the information people obtain from different sources may shape whether they feel a strong sense of cohesion in the pandemic. To test this assumption, an online two-wave panel survey among a quota sample representing the German population aged 18+ was conducted in March and April 2020. Applying a path model, we show that using high-quality news media for information on the corona crisis (e.g., public broadcasting services) nourished people’s sense of cohesion, while using alternative and hyperpartisan news sites had a detrimental effect. Relying on information from low-quality news media (e.g., tabloids) did not affect people’s sense of cohesion, while talking to private contacts had a limited positive effect. Perceiving the public discourse as constructive vs. dramatized mediated the effects. These insights illustrate how the news media and other information sources in high-choice media environments contribute to a solid vs. polarized community in disruptive times of a crisis.