Varying Political Communication towards Disabled

• In Event: Poster Session: Representation and Electoral Systems & Public Opinion and U.S. Politics
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Representation and Electoral Systems

Abstract

In the study of political communication often online campaigns of candidates are utilized. Findings suggest that candidates run on varying platforms for varying audiences. However, campaigns are not interactive means of communication and we lack research on the interaction between politicians and citizens outside of campaigning. They way politicians present information to people with varying underlying characteristics is important for democracies and representation.
I conduct an audit-survey-experiment on German disability representatives in which I randomly assign to whom I disclose my physical disability to estimate an ITT of disability disclosure on communicated disability policy scores. In three experimental conditions I either disclose my disability at email contact, at survey introduction, or not at all.
I retrieve more responses when I am disabled at contact but I do not necessarily get systematically different answers.
Fully treated representatives had a 11.8 percent higher response rate. All treated representatives robustly show upward reporting of their positions' popularity in their city or district. While fully treated representatives show similar scores to the control condition, representatives learning about my disability later on, report upwardly on more scores.
These findings demonstrate there are limits to the topics and circumstances under which audience centered strategizing on political communication takes place. It requires further research on when and where this phenomenon starts to (dis)appear. Further, the study design, leveraging a health condition, offers an ethical discussion on how to handle this type of deception.

Author

• Moritz Raykowski, Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Societies/ University of Cologne