A11. When Political Neutrality Backfires

• In Event: Working Paper Session & Reception
  In Working Paper Session: Pod A: Trust (Conference Theme)

Short Abstract

Politicians and public figures often refrain from taking sides on hot-button social issues to avoid alienating potential supporters. Two studies (n=751) find that this strategy can backfire: Neutrality is sometimes interpreted as indicating a strong, strategically concealed opinion, and can lead to diminished trustworthiness and voting support in such cases.

Authors

• Ike Silver, University of Pennsylvania, USA

• Alex Shaw, University of Chicago, USA

• Rob Kurzban, University of Pennsylvania, USA