2025/05/15 by Daniel Bischof, Roman Senninger · 1 voice
Computer Science · Social Sciences · #Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #Electoral Systems and Political Participation
paper · doi:10.1086/736693
How does the level of sophistication in political messages affect citizens? While research has examined how politicians use this element to distinguish themselves, little is known about how it resonates with citizens. We theorize that using simple language in political communication can increase citizens’ political knowledge and influence their beliefs about politicians. In a study conducted in Germany using preregistered and large-scale survey experiments, respondents were shown political statements that varied in linguistic sophistication and other factors. The results indicate that simplicity improves citizens’ political knowledge and helps them fill in gaps in information about politicians’ socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, simple language has no direct impact in the electoral arena but was found to moderate the effect of politicians’ policy positions. Our findings suggest that linguistic styles can be a powerful tool in contemporary political campaigns.