This chart is designed to show major sources of political information that the public gets during election periods. The X-axis is year; the Y-axis is percent of contact with the particular kind of media. In the chart the major sources of political information for the American public are television, radio, and newspapers. For the years from 1952 through 2000, the public's dependence on television as a major source of political information increased significantly, making television the most widely used source of information. On the other hand, the public's dependence on radio and newspapers has significantly decreased throughout the years.