Date of Award
2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Political Science
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Conor Dowling
Second Advisor
Elicia Lair
Third Advisor
Doug Rice
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Theories of moral psychology suggest that American partisans rely on different moral domains to inform their political decision making (Haidt 2012; Lakoff 1996). This project addresses the use of moral framing, language, and traits in American political campaigns. It first examines the language of campaigns to ascertain if Democratic and Republican candidates use moral language in line with moral theories and then attempts to understand if using this language can affect the public in a meaningful way. Overall, the research suggests that campaigns frequently use moral language, though it does not strictly conform to the predictions of existing moral theory frameworks. However, the results suggest that effects of moral campaign messages are real. Specifically, candidates that increase their use of specific moral domains in their advertising increase their support in the polls. Similarly, survey experiment results suggest that Republicans and Democrats prefer candidates who emphasize different moral traits.
Recommended Citation
Hanel, Joel Andrew, "Moral Psychology And Political Campaigns" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 781.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/781