title: Rethinking Propaganda: How State Media Build Trust Through Belief Affirmation
abstract: Research on propaganda often focuses on strategies that autocrats can use to persuade skeptical citizens. In this paper, I outline a different function of propaganda—reinforcing regime support and building trust through identity-consistent messages. Such affirmation propaganda results in more positive perceptions of propaganda outlets and skepticism about independent media. I test this argument using three studies in Russia. In two randomized experiments, I demonstrate that pro-regime citizens t