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Casting roles, casting votes: Lessons from Sesame Street on media representation, racial biases, and voting

Author

Listed:
  • Duquennois, Claire
  • Zeng, Jiangnan

Abstract

Evidence on the media's potential to reduce prejudice is limited. Sesame Street's positive representation of minority characters and working women was distinctive in the media landscape of 1969. Using age and technological variation in broadcast reception, we show that Sesame Street increased political engagement and reduced prejudice decades later. Exposed cohorts in high coverage counties are 4.2 ppts more likely to vote, have lower measures of racial biases, and report more votes for minority and women candidates to the U.S. House by 8.1 and 5.8 ppts respectively. On ballots featuring white men, turnout gains are split between parties.

Suggested Citation

  • Duquennois, Claire & Zeng, Jiangnan, 2026. "Casting roles, casting votes: Lessons from Sesame Street on media representation, racial biases, and voting," CLEF Working Paper Series 98, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:clefwp:344222
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    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/344222/1/1985996502.pdf
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior

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