Multimedia Reporting (Kuhr-Musser)

News media, advertisers and individuals influence people’s opinions and actions every day. How does this affect the average American? Just how much of what people believe is handed to them by politicians, celebrities and advertisements?

Mark Joslyn and Donald Haider-Markel, associate professors of political science, suggest that although Americans are definitely influenced by daily messages, brainwashing is not quite the case. Rather, these various messages only alter people’s short-term opinions.

This means that on a daily basis, advertisers affect personal decisions. A Burger King commercial depicting a tasty hamburger is enough to cause many people to choose Burger King as their food source for the day. With advertising, people do not need to permanently choose Burger King over McDonald’s.

“A temporary shift is all you need,” Haider-Markel said.

Similarly, media messages also influence larger topics such as politics. Joslyn and Haider-Markel conducted research on the effect of messages and messengers in forming political opinions. The study concludes that while political messages sway opinions, who delivers the message may not be important.

“There is a difference between the messenger and message, and both are important in politics,” Joslyn said. “However, from our study, it does appear that the issue itself, and how it is framed, is probably the most important aspect in terms of public understanding and influencing public opinion.

In order to measure the effect of messages and messengers, the researchers first surveyed public opinions regarding the morality of physician-assisted suicide. Then, a second survey group received a short, generalized speech about how “some people say” that physician-assisted suicide is positive or negative before being asked for an opinion on the topic. A third group also heard the short speech, with the messages attributed either to Jerry Falwell or Jack Kevorkian, prior to the survey.

Results of the study show that framing the issue as either positive or negative influenced the way people responded to the survey. However, whether “some people” delivered the message or Falwell or Kevorkian delivered the message did not significantly change the outcome of the survey.

“We expected to find that a messenger would have a powerful role in making for a more persuasive message – affecting public opinion,” Joslyn said. “However, given the issue that we chose, physician assisted suicide, and the messengers we chose, Dr. Kevorkian and Reverend Jerry Falwell, the results we obtained make sense. Indeed, both of these messengers come with significant baggage and both are often polarizing figures. As such, the messengers in this instance did not make the message more powerful, though they did not necessarily hurt the message either.”

Haider-Markel notes that although these framed messages affected the outcome of the survey in the study, the effects are only short-term. Since politicians are not trying to sell hamburgers on a day-to-day basis, short-term influence is not beneficial in politics in the same way that it is beneficial in advertising. Changing political opinion requires constant, consistent influence.

“If you can focus people’s attention on just one side, you can influence their preferences,” Haider-Markel said.

If celebrities effectively sell products, why do politicians not effectively sell political issues? According to Joslyn and Haider-Markel, this is because advertisers use generally well-liked figures as spokespeople. People generally like Michael Jordan and as a result, he makes a good spokesperson for athletic shoes. Consumers associate Michael Jordan – a person they like – with the shoes.

“You are more likely to pay attention to something you like,” Joslyn said. “You associate the messenger with something you might not know about.”

Selling a product simply requires finding a universally liked celebrity. In theory, politics follows the same guidelines. Selling an idea requires a universally liked celebrity. This is where the problem comes in.

“Most messages come with reasonably popular figures – this is why many consumer products receive endorsements from Hollywood stars,” Joslyn said. “However, in politics, there is rarely a figure that is universally supported or liked. Most are liked by one party or the other, and so do not appeal to all. And, most issues are partisan as well. So, even if the messenger is initially popular, they, over time, are seen through a partisan lens because they are endorsing a partisan cause.”

Finally, both Joslyn and Haider-Markel note that the less informed a person is on a political topic, the more effective issue framing will be. Therefore, any prior knowledge of an issue helps to defend people against unwanted persuasion.

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