Abstract：In the Internet era with uncountable information readily available， why do netizens choose different information channels， and even some people are not satisfied with the existing information supply and spend extra energy to search for the hard-to-obtain information？ Based on the data of “2019 Urban and Rural Social Governance Survey of China” and “Netizens’ Social Awareness Survey”， we can try to analyze and answer this question from a psychological perspective. The research shows that interest in politics is the most common factor that draws people’s attention to information， but it does not explain the difference in people’s preference in media channels. Authoritarian personality， political satisfaction and cognitive needs are the factors that affect people to choose one particular information channel over another. After analyzing the reasons why netizens choose foreign media， it is found that， contrary to what people usually think， ideology is not the reason why netizens choose foreign media， but cognitive needs and political satisfaction have a significant impact on netizens’ choice of foreign media. This shows that the media use by Chinese netizens cannot be explained simply by the conclusions of existing research abroad.
马得勇 候为刚. 政治兴趣、媒介信任抑或认知需求？——网民媒介使用的心理分析[J]. 华中师范大学学报（人文社会科学版）, 2022, 61(5): 65-78.
Ma Deyong Hou Weigang. Interest in Politics， Media Trust， or Cognitive Needs？——A Psychological Analysis of Netizens’ Media Exposure. journal1, 2022, 61(5): 65-78.
2022, Vol. 61 
