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Presidential debates and change in students' attitude
1Department of Psychology and Counseling, Alabama A&M University, Normal 35762, USA.
Psychological Reports
|March 20, 2002
Summary
Watching presidential debates significantly impacts voter attitudes. In a study of the 2000 Bush-Gore debate, participants showed changed opinions immediately after viewing, favoring Gore.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Social Psychology
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Political debates are a key feature of election campaigns.
- Understanding how debates influence voter perceptions is crucial for democratic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a specific presidential debate on potential voters' attitudes.
- To measure changes in candidate favorability following debate exposure.
Main Methods:
- A group of 45 undergraduates participated in the study.
- Participants' attitudes towards candidates were measured before and after viewing the third 2000 presidential debate.
- A repeated measures t test was employed for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- A significant change in attitude ratings was observed from pretest to posttest.
- Gore was rated significantly higher in posttest attitude ratings compared to pretest.
- The debate viewing had a measurable effect on immediate candidate perception.
Conclusions:
- Presidential debates can demonstrably influence immediate voter attitudes.
- The findings suggest that debate performance can sway audience perception, as evidenced by increased favorability towards one candidate.