Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2025

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
Incivility Diminishes Interest in What Politicians Have to Say
Matthew Feinberg1, Jeremy A Frimer2
1University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Political incivility may seem attention-grabbing, but research shows it actually decreases public interest. People find uncivil political discourse morally distasteful, leading to reduced engagement with politicians who use it.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Political Communication
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Incivility is common in society and often claimed to increase political attention.
- Previous theories suggest incivility enhances politician visibility and engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of political incivility on public interest and followership.
- To determine if moral distaste for incivility mediates reduced engagement.
- To test the generalizability of incivility effects across political affiliations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Twitter followership for Presidents Trump and Biden in relation to uncivil language (Studies 1a, 1b).
- Experimental manipulation of politician incivility to measure effects on interest (Studies 2-3).
- Mediation analysis to assess the role of moral disapproval.
Main Results:
- Incivility was associated with reduced followership on social media.
- Experimental studies showed incivility consistently decreased interest in politicians' messages.
- Effects were observed for both political allies and opponents.
Conclusions:
- Political incivility diminishes public interest rather than enhancing it.
- Moral disapproval of incivility suppresses its attention-grabbing potential.
- The public reacts more negatively to political incivility than previously assumed.
More Related Videos
09:40Measuring Neural and Behavioral Activity During Ongoing Computerized Social Interactions: An Examination of Event-Related Brain Potentials
Published on: November 15, 2014
08:24The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Group Polarization
Aggression
In- and Out-Groups
Surveys
Groupthink
Routes of Persuasion