How do voters perceive disabled candidates?
Reher, Stefanie (2021) How do voters perceive disabled candidates? Frontiers in Political Science, 2. 634432. ISSN 2673-3145 (https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2020.634432)
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Abstract
In order to form an impression of the traits, views, and competencies of election candidates, voters often draw on existing stereotypes about their identities and characteristics, such as their gender or ethnicity. Meanwhile, although there is a strong stigma associated with disability in our societies, we know very little about how voters perceive candidates with disabilities. This study uses a survey experiment with a conjoint design conducted in Britain to examine the effects of candidate disability on voter perceptions of their personality traits, beliefs, and issue competencies. Contrary to common stereotypes, physically disabled candidates are not seen as incompetent and weak. Instead, they are perceived as more compassionate, honest, and hard-working than nondisabled candidates, although the effects are modest in size. They are also assumed to be further to the left ideologically and more concerned about and competent in dealing with policy on healthcare, minority rights, and social welfare. The study enriches our understanding of the role of disability in electoral behavior and political representation while also providing valuable—and overall encouraging—insights for disabled (aspiring) politicians and political parties.
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Item type: Article ID code: 75339 Dates: DateEvent28 January 2021Published29 December 2020AcceptedSubjects: Political Science Department: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Government and Public Policy > Politics Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 09 Feb 2021 09:20 Last modified: 27 Nov 2024 17:27 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/75339