Candidate Image and Electoral Preference in Britain

Shephard, Mark; Johns, Robert

doi:10.1057/bp.2008.8

Cited by 22 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Similarly, knowledgeable and engaged voters are less likely to display appearance-based biases when they vote (Hart et al, 2011;Lenz and Lawson, 2011;Riggle et al, 1992;Shephard and Johns, 2008). This is consistent with the broader literature demonstrating that people are more likely to rely on stereotypes to make judgments about people when there is little or no other relevant information available about the person (Davison and Burke, 2000;Tosi and Einbender, 1985).…”

Section: Influence Of Candidate Weight On Voting Behaviorsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…A consistent finding in studies of the relationship between physical appearance and voting behavior is that the more information an individual has about a candidate, the less likely they are to rely on stereotypes and appearance-based impressions to form their voting decisions (Riggle et al, 1992;Shephard and Johns, 2008;Todorov et al, 2005). Similarly, knowledgeable and engaged voters are less likely to display appearance-based biases when they vote (Hart et al, 2011;Lenz and Lawson, 2011;Riggle et al, 1992;Shephard and Johns, 2008).…”

Section: Influence Of Candidate Weight On Voting Behaviormentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Previous research has found that people rely less on stereotypes and biases when making judgments about others if they have relevant information about a person (Davison and Burke, 2000;Hart et al, 2011;and Lawson et al, 2009;Riggle et al, 1992;Shephard and Johns, 2008;Todorov et al, 2005;Tosi and Einbender, 1985). In US Senate elections, all voters, at the very least, know each candidate's political affiliation, which is listed on the ballot.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies in Canada, Britain, the USA and Germany have found that being attractive increases one's chances of being elected (Banducci et al, 2008;Efron and Patterson, 1974;Riggle et al, 1992;Shephard and Johns, 2008;Rosar et al, 2008). Other studies, however, have found no relationship between attractiveness and electability (Sigelman et al, 1987;Spezio et al 2008), and one study found a negative relationship between attractiveness and electability (Mattes et al, 2010).…”

Section: Influence Of Candidate Weight On Voting Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weight bias in US candidate selection and election

Roehling

Brennan

et al. 2014

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to use data from the 2008 and 2012 US Senate elections to examine the relationship between candidate size (obese, overweight, normal weight) and candidate selection and election outcomes. Design/methodology/approach -Using pictures captured from candidate web sites, participants rated the size of candidates in the primary and general US Senate elections. w 2 analyses, t-tests and hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test for evidence of bias against overweight and obese candidates and whether gender and election information moderate that relationship. Findings -Obese candidates were largely absent from the pool of candidates in both the primary and general elections. Overweight women, but not overweight men, were also underrepresented. Supporting our hypothesis that there is bias against overweight candidates, heavier candidates tended to receive lower vote share than their thinner counterparts, and the larger the size difference between the candidates, the larger the vote share discrepancy. The paper did not find a moderating effect for gender or highinformation high vs low-information elections on the relationship between candidate size and vote share. Research limitations/implications -Further research is needed to understand the process by which obese candidates are culled from the candidate pool and the cognitions underlying the biases against overweight candidates. Social implications -Because of the bias against obese political candidates, as much as one-third of the adult US population are likely to be excluded or being elected to a major political office. Originality value -This study is the first to use election data to examine whether bias based on size extends to the electoral process.

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Section: Influence Of Candidate Weight On Voting Behaviorsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Influence Of Candidate Weight On Voting Behaviormentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Influence Of Candidate Weight On Voting Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Weight bias in US candidate selection and election

Roehling

Brennan

et al. 2014

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal

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“…Given that voters' perceptions of candidates' traits are always inferred from candidate actions, research has examined how candidates may craft the communication of specific personality traits as part of an electoral strategy. In particular, some research has suggested that candidates who signal traits not normally associated with their party benefit electorally (Hayes 2005), although research in the UK at the candidate level has not found any evidence for such "trait trespassing" (Shephard and Johns 2008 Almost all valence accounts rely on voters' evaluations of parties' traits, something which is also true of many positional accounts. Positional accounts, however, have been able to rely on text-based assessments of parties' positions, and in particular positions estimated on the basis of the manifestos produced by political parties.…”

Section: Brand and Brand Personality In Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Political Brands: Can Parties Be Distinguished by Their Online Brand Personality?

Rutter

Hanretty

Lettice

2015

Journal of Political Marketing

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This paper investigates whether or not five English political parties are differentiating themselves based on the brand personality they are communicating through their websites. The relative brand positions of five English political parties are analysed using Aaker's brand personality scale. The text from each party website is analysed using content analysis and a dictionary-based tool. The results are plotted in relation to one another on a correspondence analysis map. We find that the two main dimensions on which parties' brand personalities differ relate to the trade-offs between communicating Competence and communicating Sincerity, and between communicating Sophistication and communicating Ruggedness. We find that parties' brand personalities are distinctive, with the exception of the Green party, and that the position of one party, the United Kingdom Independence Party, is particularly distinctive. Our research uses Aaker's existing framework for thinking about brand personalities, rather than creating a new framework for politics.By using an existing framework, we are able to use tools developed in other disciplines, and show their usefulness for the study of political marketing.

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