COMPASS to the Psychology of Elections #2 - Why Arne, Lazy Robert, Poor Carina, and Akullu Robbin work
Everyone knows Arne, but do you know, for example, how many Danes are worn out or how expensive Arne's pension is? Voters respond extremely effectively to seeing a concrete face behind a political policy—but how do we avoid letting our focus on the individual cause us to overlook the bigger picture?
In this episode of Kompas til Valgets Psykologi (Compass to Election Psychology), hosts Sigge Winther and Lars Hvidberg, together with Carolin Hjort Rapp, associate professor of political science, delve into why we are influenced by stories such as Arne, lazy Robbert, poor Carina, and Lars's godchild, Akullu Robbin. And then we ask the question: how do we avoid being influenced (too much) by individual stories?
And, of course, you shouldn't miss out on a guide to how to build the perfect political communication by playing on voters' identification bias.
Research:
Jenkins, L. (2018, March 27). “Why do our feelings about politics matter – and do they matter more now?” British Politics and Policy at LSE. URL:Why do our feelings about politics matter – and do they matter more now? | LSE British Politics
Kalla, J. L. & Broockman, D. E. (2023). “Which Narrative Strategies Durably Reduce Prejudice? Evidence from Field and Survey Experiments Supporting the Efficacy of Perspective-Getting.” American Journal of Political Science 67 (1): 185-204
Lippmann, Walter (1922): Public Opinion.
Rawls, John (1971). A Theory of Justice. Belknap Press
Valentino, N. A. et al. (2011). “Election Night’s Alright for Fighting: The Role of Emotions in Political Participation. The Journal of Politics, 73(1), 156–170
Credits:
Cast: Carolin Rapp, Sigge Winther, and Lars Hvidberg
Editorial team:
Linn Lüders, Silas Moody, Lars Hvidberg, Ida Torpe Thorhauge, Bjørk Hulten, Noa Jenkins, and Anton Jensen
Sound design:
Peter Sejersbøl
Produced by the INVI think tank – Institute for wicked , with support from the Carlsberg Foundation.