A face for radio? How viewers and listeners reacted differently to the third leaders' Debate in 2010
A face for radio? How viewers and listeners reacted differently to the third leaders' Debate in 2010
Neil Kinnock expressed scepticism about Gordon Brown's likely showing in the 2010 election debates, suggesting that the Labour leader had a 'radio face'. We report an experiment in which students were split randomly between audio and video conditions for the third debate. As Kinnock predicted, Gordon Brown was more often proclaimed the winner by listeners. Nick Clegg, not David Cameron, benefited most from television. These differences were statistically significant despite a small sample (n=63). We test three explanations for Clegg's advantage: (i) that television boosts the salience of certain traits (notably attractiveness); (ii) that television boosts the importance of 'style' over 'substance'; (iii) that listeners form judgements based on performance throughout the debate, while viewers are disproportionately influenced by memorable incidents or remarks. There is evidence supporting all three explanations.
2010 election, Experiment, Leader debates, Television versus radio
Shephard, Mark
7bc46660-bf18-4a77-97dd-102cf8e42b08
Johns, Robert
02861bc9-b704-49b1-bbc7-cf1c1e9b7a35
February 2012
Shephard, Mark
7bc46660-bf18-4a77-97dd-102cf8e42b08
Johns, Robert
02861bc9-b704-49b1-bbc7-cf1c1e9b7a35
Shephard, Mark and Johns, Robert
(2012)
A face for radio? How viewers and listeners reacted differently to the third leaders' Debate in 2010.
British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 14 (1).
(doi:10.1111/j.1467-856X.2011.00465.x).
Abstract
Neil Kinnock expressed scepticism about Gordon Brown's likely showing in the 2010 election debates, suggesting that the Labour leader had a 'radio face'. We report an experiment in which students were split randomly between audio and video conditions for the third debate. As Kinnock predicted, Gordon Brown was more often proclaimed the winner by listeners. Nick Clegg, not David Cameron, benefited most from television. These differences were statistically significant despite a small sample (n=63). We test three explanations for Clegg's advantage: (i) that television boosts the salience of certain traits (notably attractiveness); (ii) that television boosts the importance of 'style' over 'substance'; (iii) that listeners form judgements based on performance throughout the debate, while viewers are disproportionately influenced by memorable incidents or remarks. There is evidence supporting all three explanations.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 5 July 2011
Published date: February 2012
Keywords:
2010 election, Experiment, Leader debates, Television versus radio
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Local EPrints ID: 489933
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/489933
ISSN: 1369-1481
PURE UUID: ee0ada45-70ec-4933-b3af-0c53ad6da379
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Date deposited: 07 May 2024 16:59
Last modified: 08 May 2024 02:08
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Author:
Mark Shephard
Author:
Robert Johns
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