Viewers like You: How Elite Co-Identity Reinforcement Facilitates Persuasion

• In Event: Cues That Matter

Abstract

As the political salience of immigrant-origin minorities continues to increase in the United States and Europe, researchers are increasingly focused on developing strategies to reduce exclusionary attitudes. While a number of recent studies have examined the effect of different narrative and interpersonal communication techniques, few have focused on the role of the “messenger” that delivers these techniques. Drawing from psychological research on persuasion, we argue that anti-exclusionary messages are far more persuasive when delivered by elite messengers who first reinforce shared identities. To test this, we conduct a large pre-registered survey experiment exposing a sample of N=9,393 American adults to persuasive fictional elite audio messages on immigration. We find that a persuasive message only shifts attitudes on immigration when elites include co-identity reinforcement primes. These findings offer additional nuance to the literature on immigration attitudes, persuasion, and elite-led public opinion and have important implications for immigration advocacy work.

Authors

• Tyler Thomas Reny, Claremont Graduate University

• Justin Gest, George Mason University