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Status Matters: Unequal Effects of Group-Targeted Campaign Messages

Campaign
Identity
Survey Experiments
Voting Behaviour
Elisa Deiss-Helbig
Universität Konstanz
Elisa Deiss-Helbig
Universität Konstanz
Isabelle Guinaudeau
Sciences Po Paris
Theres Matthieß
University of Trier

Abstract

This project examines the conditions under which targeted electoral promises successfully mobilize specific groups of voters. While electoral campaigns frequently employ group-targeted appeals, their success varies significantly. In particular, disadvantaged groups often fail to support political parties advocating beneficial policies targeted at them. Potential explanations could be cognitive (e.g., difficulty identifying the target population of the policy or self-categorizing in this population), psychological (e.g., varying levels of group identification), and social (e.g., the stigmatization or social construction of groups). This study examines how social status, group identity, and the framing of campaign appeals shape voters’ responses to group-targeted promises. We draw on a vignette experiment conducted in the US and Germany, where participants are presented with hypothetical campaign appeals featuring promises targeted at groups of varying social status. Our contribution is twofold: first, we introduce and test the argument that voters from low-status groups are less likely to respond to beneficial electoral promises ; second, we provide insight into the cognitive, psychological, and social mechanisms underlying these responses. Our findings shed light on the potential of campaigns for (re-)mobilizing disadvantaged groups.