EPSA Konferenz 2024 | Panel 1034: 'An (Im)Perfect Match: The Impact of Incongruent Information on the Evaluation of Politicians' von Tatjana Brütting
Vom 04. bis 06. Juli 2024 fand die Konferenz der European Political Science Association (EPSA) in Köln statt. Tatjana Brütting, Doktorandin am Lehrstuhl für Politische Soziologie der Zeppelin Universität, hielt dort im Rahmen des Panels "How Politicians Respond to Information" einen Vortrag. In ihrem Beitrag "An (Im)Perfect Match: The Impact of Incongruent Information on the Evaluation of Politicians" untersuchte sie die Auswirkungen inkongruenter Informationen auf die Bewertung von Politikern.
Titel: An (Im)Perfect Match: The Impact of Incongruent Information on the Evaluation of Politicians
Abstract
Does it matter if candidates do not toe the party line? While the importance of candidates for the electoral success of parties is a major topic of electoral research, the interaction between party affiliation and candidate evaluation remains unclear. Using a conjoint experiment with 2239 German respondents, this study examines how incongruences between candidates and their parties affect voter perceptions within a multiparty system. Surprisingly, the findings challenge the notion of partisan motivated reasoning, revealing that incongruent candidates are often penalized by partisans. Notably, incongruence is viewed positively in multiparty systems, especially by individuals associated with other parties. Results also suggest that the type of information—whether related to political issues or private attitudes—influences evaluation outcomes, with effects varying between center-left and center-right parties. By shedding light on the nuanced dynamics of candidate-party incongruence, this research enhances our understanding of political personalization and its implications for voter decision-making processes.