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“Keep it Simple, Stupid”? The Effects of Rhetorical Complexity on Public Opinion

Mon, May 29, 14:00 to 15:15, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Floor: 2, Indigo Ballroom H

Abstract

Multiple studies from the past two decades document decreasing levels of complexity in parliamentary and presidential rhetoric. These studies demonstrate that politicians’ public communication becomes increasingly simple in specific political contexts, such as election campaigns and political crises, and also point to a trend of substantial simplification over time in political rhetoric. While this growing body of literature provides important insight into the political conditions that induce the presentation of simple rhetoric, the actual effects of such messages on the public have rarely been demonstrated. The current study experimentally manipulated rhetorical complexity (n=947) and examined its effects on the capacity of elite communication to (a) inform citizens and (b) persuade them. Results show that holding all else constant, complex rhetoric is both more informative and more persuasive than simple rhetoric. These effects are found to hold regardless of voters’ ideological orientation, political knowledge, political interest and demographic features.

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