Weight bias in US candidate selection and election

Abstract

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.

Obesity Stigma and Negative Perceptions of Political Leadership Competence

“…This study suggests that people who read these stigmatizing and unflattering remarks are likely to draw unfair conclusions about Christie’s (or any other large politician’s) leadership competence on the basis of negative often demeaning physical descriptions. As Roehling and colleagues (Roehling et al, 2009; Roehling et al, 2014) have shown, large-size politicians rarely make it past the primaries and only if they are male.…”

“…Several studies have recently investigated how a candidate’s weight affects political outcomes. Roehling et al (2014) examined 126 candidate pairs who ran in senatorial elections in 2008 and 2012. They found that all obese and overweight females were eliminated in the primary, and in almost every instance, the thinner male candidate was elected.…”

Evolutionary preferences for physical formidability in leaders

“…Re and colleagues 71 show that individuals with faces indicating elevated BMI are rated lower in leadership traits. Similarly, Roehling and coauthors 18 find that obese individuals are less likely to emerge as candidates for political office and, when they do, receive lower absolute vote share and lower relative vote share compared to their more slender opponents. Figure 1 presents silhouettes of average people across a range of BMis controlling for height.…”

“…Evidence suggests individuals infer information that predicts election outcomes with as little as one second of exposure to a candidate's image. 3 Researchers have found evaluations of political leaders and election outcomes can be predicted with physical attributes of leaders such as attractiveness, 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 "looking the part" (e.g., competence), 3 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 votercandidate facial similarity, 12 masculinity-femininity, 13• 14 vocal communications, 15 • 16 • 17 obesity, 18 height, 19 • 20 • 21 sex, 22 • 23 and skin color. 24 Some scholars explain these effects by concluding physical features prime elements of modern leadership prototypes such as competence, intelligence, and leadership skills.…”

Metaphors that communicate weight-based stigma in political news: A case study of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

“…The study of language, and particularly metaphor, requires in-depth understanding of a particular phenomenon (Crisp, Heywood, & Steen, 2002). Obese political candidates often experience ridicule and stigmatization that could deter them from continuing to run for political office (Roehling et al, 2014). Christie is a good focus for a case study about political news coverage that stigmatizes obesity.…”