Jan 26, 2026 02:31 AM
(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2026 03:56 AM by C C.)
New research reveals the policy recall gap that gave Donald Trump a hidden edge
https://www.psypost.org/new-research-rev...dden-edge/
EXCERPTS: Recent research into the 2016 United States presidential election offers insights into how effective the two major campaigns were at informing voters.
The study, published in American Politics Research, suggests that Donald Trump’s campaign was more successful than Hillary Clinton’s campaign at communicating memorable policy proposals that voters believed would personally benefit them. These findings indicate that the ability of a campaign to implant specific policy ideas in the minds of the electorate may be a significant factor in election outcomes.
Political scientists often debate the extent to which political campaigns actually influence voters. A common perspective in the field is that campaigns have minimal effects on voter attitudes or their ultimate choice at the ballot box. However, the 2016 election presented a unique set of circumstances that warranted a closer examination of this conventional wisdom.
The distinct styles of the two candidates provided a natural experiment in communication strategies. Hillary Clinton ran a more traditional campaign that often focused on the character and fitness of her opponent. Donald Trump utilized a strategy characterized by simple, repetitive slogans and unconventional policy promises.
[...] This disparity became even more pronounced when the researchers broke the data down by partisanship. Political parties generally rely on their own base to know and support their platform.
The study found that 79 percent of Republicans were able to articulate a policy-related reason to support Trump. On the Democratic side, only 62 percent of respondents could name a policy-related reason to support Clinton. A significant portion of the Democratic base—nearly four out of ten—could not identify a single policy from their nominee that they felt would improve their lives.
The researchers also examined the relationship between education levels and policy recall. Typically, political science research finds that higher levels of education correlate with higher levels of political knowledge. The results regarding Hillary Clinton followed this expected pattern. Respondents with higher educational attainment were more likely to name a beneficial Clinton policy than those with less education.
The results regarding Donald Trump did not follow this traditional pattern. The data showed no significant relationship between a respondent’s level of education and their ability to name a Trump policy.
Voters with lower levels of formal education were just as likely to recall a Trump promise as those with college degrees. This suggests that Trump’s communication style may have successfully bypassed the cognitive barriers that often make political platforms difficult for some voters to absorb... (MORE - details)
https://www.psypost.org/new-research-rev...dden-edge/
EXCERPTS: Recent research into the 2016 United States presidential election offers insights into how effective the two major campaigns were at informing voters.
The study, published in American Politics Research, suggests that Donald Trump’s campaign was more successful than Hillary Clinton’s campaign at communicating memorable policy proposals that voters believed would personally benefit them. These findings indicate that the ability of a campaign to implant specific policy ideas in the minds of the electorate may be a significant factor in election outcomes.
Political scientists often debate the extent to which political campaigns actually influence voters. A common perspective in the field is that campaigns have minimal effects on voter attitudes or their ultimate choice at the ballot box. However, the 2016 election presented a unique set of circumstances that warranted a closer examination of this conventional wisdom.
The distinct styles of the two candidates provided a natural experiment in communication strategies. Hillary Clinton ran a more traditional campaign that often focused on the character and fitness of her opponent. Donald Trump utilized a strategy characterized by simple, repetitive slogans and unconventional policy promises.
[...] This disparity became even more pronounced when the researchers broke the data down by partisanship. Political parties generally rely on their own base to know and support their platform.
The study found that 79 percent of Republicans were able to articulate a policy-related reason to support Trump. On the Democratic side, only 62 percent of respondents could name a policy-related reason to support Clinton. A significant portion of the Democratic base—nearly four out of ten—could not identify a single policy from their nominee that they felt would improve their lives.
The researchers also examined the relationship between education levels and policy recall. Typically, political science research finds that higher levels of education correlate with higher levels of political knowledge. The results regarding Hillary Clinton followed this expected pattern. Respondents with higher educational attainment were more likely to name a beneficial Clinton policy than those with less education.
The results regarding Donald Trump did not follow this traditional pattern. The data showed no significant relationship between a respondent’s level of education and their ability to name a Trump policy.
Voters with lower levels of formal education were just as likely to recall a Trump promise as those with college degrees. This suggests that Trump’s communication style may have successfully bypassed the cognitive barriers that often make political platforms difficult for some voters to absorb... (MORE - details)
