Our trust in politicians declines when they talk badly to and about one another. On the other hand, our trust is not affected by politicians disagreeing on political matters. New research disentangles the effect of disagreements and mudslinging in politics.
23.11.2020 | INGRID FOSSUM
We have seen it in countless political debates: The politicians disagree completely and go for each other’s throats. After all, this is what politics is all about. Or is it?
Is it actually a good thing that Donald Trump, for one, is hardly able to write a tweet without speaking ill of his opponents often even bestowing upon them unflattering nicknames?
Previous studies from Aarhus BSS have shown that attack sometimes pays off in politics as it weakens the image of opponents. Now new research shows that it may be a good idea to use fewer derogatory words about your opponents as it may lead to lower trust in politicians as such - not just your opponents, but politicians from your own party as well.
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”Luckily, my results show that the participants in the study did not lose trust in politicians along with the growing disagreements. However, participants reacted negatively when the politicians were disrespectful and used derogatory words towards other politicians”
Rasmus Skytte, assistant professor, Department of Political Science, Aarhus BSS
Read also: Mudslinging pays off in politics
Harsh words and disagreements
Rasmus Skytte, assistant professor of political science at Aarhus BSS, studies political opinion formation. Here previous research has found it difficult to separate the effect of harsh words from the effect of political disagreements. In many previous experiments, people have been presented with debates where politicians not only disagreed on the substance, but were also rude towards their opponents.
By using randomised experiments in which the two factors vary independently of each other, Rasmus Skytte is able to demonstrate that it is the harsh tone between politicians that is detrimental to the trust while disagreements do not have the same effect. The research, published in the British Journal of Political Science, is good news:
“It would be worrying if people reacted negatively towards disagreements as after all, they is a key part of politics. Luckily, my results show that the participants in the study did not lose trust in politicians along with the growing disagreements. However, participants reacted negatively when the politicians were disrespectful and used derogatory words towards other politicians,” says Rasmus Skytte.
This means that declining levels of trust in politicians are caused by the derogatory tone and not by disagreement as such.
Disagreement increases polarisation
However, there is another consequence of political disagreements. In his studies, Rasmus Skytte demonstrates that when politicians disagree heavily on a political issue, it rubs off on the voters. Party supporters will adopt the extreme viewpoints of their favourite party and this makes the population more polarised.
Conversely, a harsh tone among politicians does not lead to more extreme attitudes among party supporters. To reduce polarisation between voters, politicians thus need to agree more on basic political questions.
Finally, Rasmus Skytte is also able to conclude that both factors - i.e. mudslinging and a significant divide between the attitudes of party elites - stir up strong feelings in voters. This in turn leads to negative feelings towards politicians on the opposite side of the political spectrum.
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