How fear-based campaigning is affecting American voters?

Imagine you're at a playground, and someone keeps telling you that your favorite slide is going to break, today, unless you pick their team. That’s fear-based campaigning.

At the playground, kids are like voters. When grown-ups use fear-based campaigning, they act like bullies who want everyone to be scared of what might happen if they don’t choose their side. They shout things like, “If you don’t pick us, everything will go wrong!”

Why it works

Think about your lunchtime, if someone says the cafeteria is going to run out of cookies unless you vote for them, you might be more likely to pick their team just to keep the cookies coming. That’s how fear-based campaigning can make people feel like they have no choice but to pick one side.

What it feels like

It's like being told your best friend will move away unless you agree with them. It makes everything feel more stressful, and less fun.

So, when people are scared of what might happen if they don’t vote a certain way, that’s fear-based campaigning at work, just like the playground bully trying to win everyone over by making things seem worse than they are.

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Examples

A candidate says, 'If you don't vote for me, the economy will crash!' to make people scared and more likely to vote for them.
Children are told, 'If this person wins, your school might close!', making them worry about their future.
A famous actor joins a campaign and warns, 'We're in danger if we don't choose the right leader!'

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Categories: Science · fear· voting behavior· campaign strategies