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The Mobilizing Effect of Parties' Moral Rhetoric

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  • Jae‐Hee Jung

Abstract

How does parties' use of moral rhetoric affect voter behavior? Prior comparative party research has studied party positions without much attention to how parties explain and justify their positions. Drawing insights from political and moral psychology, I argue that moral rhetoric mobilizes copartisan voters by activating positive emotions about their partisan preference. I expect this to hold among copartisans who are exposed to party rhetoric. To test my argument, I measure moral rhetoric by text‐analyzing party manifestos from six English‐speaking democracies and measure mobilization using copartisan turnout in survey data. The results support my argument. Furthermore, I find evidence in support of the theoretical mechanism using survey experiments and panel survey data from Britain. The article shows that moral rhetoric is a party campaign frame that has important consequences for voter behavior.

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  • Jae‐Hee Jung, 2020. "The Mobilizing Effect of Parties' Moral Rhetoric," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(2), pages 341-355, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:64:y:2020:i:2:p:341-355
    DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12476
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. James Adams & Lawrence Ezrow & Zeynep Somer‐Topcu, 2014. "Do Voters Respond to Party Manifestos or to a Wider Information Environment? An Analysis of Mass‐Elite Linkages on European Integration," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 58(4), pages 967-978, October.
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    1. Galasso, Vincenzo & Morelli, Massimo & Nannicini, Tommaso & Stanig, Piero, 2022. "Fighting Populism on Its Own Turf: Experimental Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 17380, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Galasso, Vincenzo & Morelli, Massimo & Nannicini, Tommaso & Stanig, Piero, 2024. "The Populist Dynamic: Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Countering Populism," IZA Discussion Papers 16796, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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