Effects of Right-Wing Populist Political Advertising on Implicit and Explicit Stereotypes

• In Event: News, Politics, and Stereotyped Portrayals

Abstract

This study investigates the consequences of exposure to anti-foreigner political advertisements from right-wing populist parties on implicit and explicit stereotypes. While stereotypical associations (e.g. “criminal” when thinking about “foreigners”) may become automatically activated regardless of whether a person considers them as accurate or not (implicit stereotypes), individuals can decide not to use them for an overtly expressed judgment (explicit stereotypes). We hypothesize that even if citizens are aware of stereotypical content and negate it, advertisements may still have an impact on implicit stereotypes. This assumption was tested using an experiment (N = 186) where participants were exposed to zero, two, four, or six advertisements with media stereotypes. Results showed no effect on explicit stereotypes. However, stereotypical right-wing populist posters influenced implicit stereotypes, even in critical recipients who negated the stereotypical content. We discuss the implications for political communication research and argue that the complementary use of implicit measures is indispensable.

Authors

• Florian Arendt, U of Vienna

• Franziska Marquart, U of Vienna

• Jorg Matthes, U of Vienna