The New Videomalaise: Effects of Televised Incivility on Political Trust

TLDR

Incivility in political discourse may harm public regard for politics, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The study tests whether televised political disagreement violates social norms and affects political attitudes. The authors argue that incivility violates polite norms, thereby eroding trust in government. Three experiments show that while televised political disagreement does not harm attitudes toward politics, higher incivility reduces political trust, indicating that television’s format boosts interest but erodes trust.

Abstract

Does incivility in political discourse have adverse effects on public regard for politics? If so, why? In this study we present a theory suggesting that when viewers are exposed to televised political disagreement, it often violates well-established face-to-face social norms for the polite expression of opposing views. As a result, incivility in public discourse adversely affects trust in government. Drawing on three laboratory experiments, we find that televised presentations of political differences of opinion do not, in and of themselves, harm attitudes toward politics and politicians. However, political trust is adversely affected by levels of incivility in these exchanges. Our findings suggest that the format of much political television effectively promotes viewer interest, but at the expense of political trust.