Just how important is the messenger versus the message? The case of framing physician-assisted suicide

As a political issue, death and dying topics only sometimes reach the political agenda. However, some issues, such as physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have been highly salient. This article explores attitudes toward PAS by examining the malleability of opinion when respondents are exposed to issue frames and when specific messengers present those frames. We used 4 experimental conditions in a statewide survey and 1 control group, which allowed us to compare the impact of a framed message on opinion as well as that message presented by a specific messenger. Results suggest that support for PAS can be shaped by whether PAS is framed as individual choice or as a matter involving sanctity of life. In addition, we find that specific messengers did not influence opinion on PAS beyond the influence of the issue frame itself, controlling for respondent characteristics such as gender and race. Indeed, the findings indicate that messengers may in fact reduce the intended impact of issue frames of opinion toward PAS.