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Beyond Negativity: The Effects of Incivility on the Electorate

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  • Deborah Jordan Brooks
  • John G. Geer

Abstract

There is much concern among pundits and political observers that incivility undermines our electoral process. Yet we have little evidence that actually documents whether incivility has such pernicious effects. This article seeks to advance our understanding of the influence of incivility on the electorate. We argue that three dimensions are central to understanding both the perceptions and effects of different types of campaign messages: tone (negative versus positive); civility (civil versus uncivil); and focus (issue versus trait‐based message content). Using an experimental manipulation on a large national sample that examines these three dimensions, we find that uncivil attacks in campaigns do not appear to be as worrisome as its detractors fear. While uncivil messages in general—and uncivil trait‐based messages in particular—are usually seen by the public as being less fair, less informative, and less important than both their civil negative and positive counterparts, they are no more likely to lead to detrimental effects among the public. In fact, incivility appears to have some modest positive consequences for the political engagement of the electorate. These findings are important, since attacks and counterattacks will continue to shape the American political landscape.

Suggested Citation

  • Deborah Jordan Brooks & John G. Geer, 2007. "Beyond Negativity: The Effects of Incivility on the Electorate," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 51(1), pages 1-16, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:51:y:2007:i:1:p:1-16
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2007.00233.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Galasso, Vincenzo & Nannicini, Tommaso, 2013. "Men Vote in Mars, Women Vote in Venus: A Survey Experiment in the Field," CEPR Discussion Papers 9547, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Anthony Dudo & John C Besley, 2016. "Scientists’ Prioritization of Communication Objectives for Public Engagement," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Dena Yadin & Inbal Yahav & Lior Zalmanson & Nira Munichor, 2024. "Resolving the Ethical Tension Between Creating a Civil Environment and Facilitating Free Expression Online: Comment Reordering as an Alternative to Comment Moderation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 192(2), pages 261-283, June.
    4. Alessandro Nai & Mike Medeiros & Michaela Maier & Jürgen Maier, 2022. "Euroscepticism and the use of negative, uncivil and emotional campaigns in the 2019 European Parliament election: A winning combination," European Union Politics, , vol. 23(1), pages 21-42, March.
    5. Galasso, Vincenzo & Nannicini, Tommaso, 2016. "Persuasion and Gender: Experimental Evidence from Two Political Campaigns," CEPR Discussion Papers 11238, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. William A. Boettcher III & Michael D. Cobb, 2009. "“Don’t Let Them Die in Vainâ€," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 53(5), pages 677-697, October.
    7. Yannis Theocharis & Pablo Barberá & Zoltán Fazekas & Sebastian Adrian Popa, 2020. "The Dynamics of Political Incivility on Twitter," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(2), pages 21582440209, May.
    8. Galasso, Vincenzo & Nannicini, Tommaso, 2016. "Persuasion and Gender: Experimental Evidence from Two Political Campaigns," CEPR Discussion Papers 11238, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Orge Castellano Parra & Koldobika Meso Ayerdi & Simón Peña Fernández, 2020. "Behind the Comments Section: The Ethics of Digital Native News Discussions," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 86-97.

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