scholarly journals Conspiracy theories, election rigging, and support for democratic norms

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 205316802095985
Author(s):  
Bethany Albertson ◽  
Kimberly Guiler
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Democratic Norms ◽  
Election Meddling

Under what conditions does conspiratorial rhetoric about election rigging change attitudes? We investigated this question using a survey experiment the day before and the morning of the 2016 US presidential election. We hypothesized that exposure to conspiratorial rhetoric about election interference would significantly heighten negative emotions (anxiety, anger) and undermine support for democratic institutions. Specifically, we expected that Democrats who read conspiratorial information about interference by the Russians in US elections, and that Republicans who read conspiratorial information about interference by the Democratic Party in US elections would express less support for key democratic norms. Our evidence largely supported our hypotheses. Americans exposed to a story claiming the election would be tampered with expressed less confidence in democratic institutions, and these effects were moderated by prior partisan beliefs about the actors most likely responsible for election meddling.

US election raises doubts over Japan-US alliance

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campaign Rhetoric ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
East Asia Region ◽  
Presidential Election Campaign

Subject The implications for Japan of the US presidential election. Significance US presidential election campaign rhetoric has sparked serious concerns in Japan about Washington's commitment to the East Asia region in the context of a long-term rise in geopolitical tensions. Republican candidate Donald Trump has publicly questioned the value of the US-Japan alliance, while Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton has muted her previous support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, seen as the economic component of the US 'rebalance' to Asia under President Barack Obama's administration. Impacts Doubts about the US commitment to the region work to Beijing's advantage. The US government's likely failure to ratify the TPP will damage perceptions of Washington's commitment to the region. Though occasionally mooted, the idea of developing nuclear weapons is a non-starter in Japan.

Trump, truth and the 25th Amendment: Australian reflections on presidential inability and removal

2021 ◽  
pp. 1037969X2199747
Author(s):  
Jemimah Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Constitutional Design ◽  
Parliamentary System ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Constitution ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Practical Sense

This article critically assesses a key question raised repeatedly during the tenure of US President Donald Trump – could (or should) the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution have been invoked to suspend him from office? Although moot in a practical sense following the 2020 US presidential election, exploring this question from an Australian perspective provides the opportunity to reflect on fundamental questions of constitutional design and the capacity of our own democratic institutions to respond when tested. The article suggests that the US experience with President Trump highlights some advantages offered by Australia’s parliamentary system.

scholarly journals Risk factors associated with election-related stress and anxiety before and after the 2016 US Presidential Election

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maimuna S. Majumder ◽  
Colleen M. Nguyen ◽  
Linda Sacco ◽  
Kush Mahan ◽  
John S. Brownstein
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Party Affiliation ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Anxiety Index

Over the last several months, the effects of the 2016 US Presidential Election on the mental health and well being of Americans has become a topic of great interest to care-providers in the United States. Risk factors for election-related stress and anxiety have yet to be explored. To determine indicators associated with election-related stress and anxiety in the weeks preceding and following the 2016 US Presidential Election, two surveys – “pre-election” (October 20–21, 2016) and “post-election” (January 20–21, 2017) – were administered online via the Survey Monkey Audience panel platform. A total of 999 pre-election respondents (of 1025) and 1009 post-election respondents (of 1026) were retained after data cleaning. Multivariable linear regression analyses were then conducted in Orange on the pre- and post-election survey data sets. For both analyses, a summative election-related stress and anxiety index served as the outcome of interest. Compared to women, men scored an average of .610 (95%CI: .291, 929; p < .001) and .359 (95%CI: .089, .629; p = .009) points lower on the election-related stress and anxiety index – among pre-election and post-election survey respondents, respectively. Though insignificant among pre-election survey respondents, Democratic Party affiliation (.805 points; 95%CI: .466, 1.14; p < .001) and low household income (.83 points; 95%CI: .173, 1.49; p = .013) were associated with higher election-related stress and anxiety index scores among post-election survey respondents. Election-related effects on stress and anxiety are complex, and some segments of the American population appear to be more vulnerable than others. Though further study of additional risk factors is needed, those noted here may be utilized to better identify and provide care for Americans suffering from election-related stress and anxiety moving forward.

Setting the agenda in a distant nation: The 2016 US presidential election in a New Zealand newspaper

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-161
Author(s):  
Shah Nister Kabir
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Republican Party ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
The Other ◽  
Hillary Clinton ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
The Media ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Media Outlet

AbstractExamining the coverage of the 2016 US Presidential election of the highest circulating New Zealand newspaper—the New Zealand Herald (NZH)—this study argues that this newspaper sets agenda against Donald Trump—the Republican Party candidate in the 2016 US election. Examining all news, editorials and photographs published in NZH, it discursively argues that this newspaper overshadowed and dehumanized Trump and especially his leadership ability. The other major candidate—the Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton—was applauded in the coverage. The NZH repeatedly focused upon the activities of Trump through news, views and images to dehumanize him. The repetition, therefore, does not necessarily mean that a particular media outlet favors a particular candidate. It also argues that the media outlet of a distant nation that cannot influence its reader to vote for a particular candidate may still set the agenda in favor of a candidate.

scholarly journals Elite rhetoric can undermine democratic norms

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (23) ◽  
pp. e2024125118
Author(s):  
Katherine Clayton ◽  
Nicholas T. Davis ◽  
Brendan Nyhan ◽  
Ethan Porter ◽  
Timothy J. Ryan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Political Elites ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Panel Survey ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Democratic Stability ◽  
Democratic Norms

Democratic stability depends on citizens on the losing side accepting election outcomes. Can rhetoric by political leaders undermine this norm? Using a panel survey experiment, we evaluate the effects of exposure to multiple statements from former president Donald Trump attacking the legitimacy of the 2020 US presidential election. Although exposure to these statements does not measurably affect general support for political violence or belief in democracy, it erodes trust and confidence in elections and increases belief that the election is rigged among people who approve of Trump’s job performance. These results suggest that rhetoric from political elites can undermine respect for critical democratic norms among their supporters.

scholarly journals Cultural transmission bias in the spread of voter fraud conspiracy theories on Twitter during the 2020 US election

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mason Youngblood ◽  
Joseph Michael Stubbersfield ◽  
Olivier Morin ◽  
Ryan Glassman ◽  
Alberto Acerbi
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Content Bias ◽  
Voter Fraud

During the 2020 US presidential election, conspiracy theories about large-scale voter fraud were widely circulated on social media platforms. Given their scale, persistence, and impact, it is critically important to understand the mechanisms that caused these theories to spread so rapidly. The aim of this study was to investigate whether retweet frequencies among proponents of voter fraud conspiracy theories on Twitter during the 2020 US election are consistent with frequency bias, demonstrator bias, and/or content bias. To do this, we conducted generative inference using an agent-based model of cultural transmission on Twitter and the VoterFraud2020 dataset. The results show that the observed retweet distribution is consistent with a strong content bias and demonstrator bias, likely targeted towards negative emotion and follower count, respectively. Based on the confounding effects of the timeline algorithm and population structure, we are most confident in concluding that the differential spread of voter fraud claims among proponents of voter fraud conspiracy theories on Twitter during and after the 2020 US election was partly driven by a content bias causing users to preferentially retweet tweets with more negative emotion.

Identity propaganda: Racial narratives and disinformation

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110292
Author(s):  
Madhavi Reddi ◽  
Rachel Kuo ◽  
Daniel Kreiss
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Social Orders ◽  
Racial Narratives

This article develops the concept of “identity propaganda,” or narratives that strategically target and exploit identity-based differences in accord with pre-existing power structures to maintain hegemonic social orders. In proposing and developing the concept of identity propaganda, we especially aim to help researchers find new insights into their data on misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda by outlining a framework for unpacking layers of historical power relations embedded in the content they analyze. We focus on three forms of identity propaganda: othering narratives that alienate and marginalize non-white or non-dominant groups; essentializing narratives that create generalizing tropes of marginalized groups; and authenticating narratives that call upon people to prove or undermine their claims to be part of certain groups. We demonstrate the utility of this framework through our analysis of identity propaganda around Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2020 US presidential election.

scholarly journals Strengthening the EU’s resilience to hybrid threats

European View ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 178168582110046
Author(s):  
Sandra Kalniete ◽  
Tomass Pildegovičs
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Hybrid Methods ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Hybrid Threats

Against the backdrop of the deterioration of EU–Russia relations in recent years, there has been a shift in the awareness of hybrid threats all across the Union. At the same time, there is evidence of a growing political will to strengthen resilience to these threats. While hostile foreign actors have long deployed hybrid methods to target Europe, Russia’s intervention in Ukraine in 2014, interference in the 2016 US presidential election, and repeated cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at EU member states have marked a turning point, exposing Western countries’ unpreparedness and vulnerability to these threats. This article analyses the EU’s resilience to hybrid warfare from institutional, regulatory and societal perspectives, with a particular focus on the information space. By drawing on case studies from member states historically at the forefront of resisting and countering Russian-backed disinformation campaigns, this article outlines the case for a whole-of-society approach to countering hybrid threats and underscores the need for EU leadership in a standard-setting capacity.

Obama's Reelection Prospects under “Bread and Peace” Voting in the 2012 US Presidential Election

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (04) ◽  
pp. 635-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Hibbs
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
Foreign Wars

According to the Bread and Peace Model postwar, American presidential elections should be interpreted as a sequence of referendums on the incumbent party's record during its four-year mandate period. In fact postwar aggregate votes for president are well explained by just two objectively measured fundamental determinants: (1) weighted-average growth of per capita real disposable personal income over the term, and (2) cumulative US military fatalities due to unprovoked, hostile deployments of American armed forces in foreign wars. No other outside variable systematically affects postwar aggregate votes for president.

scholarly journals State-Level Forecasts for the 2020 US Presidential Election: Tough Victory Ahead for Biden — Corrigendum

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-193
Author(s):  
Bruno Jérôme ◽  
Véronique Jérôme ◽  
Philippe Mongrain ◽  
Richard Nadeau
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
State Level ◽  
Us Presidential Election
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