Does consistency matter? Perception and persuasiveness of value appeals in populist communication

Abstract

Although research has shown that political actors benefit from appealing to values that resonate with their audience’s preferences, it remains an open question to what extent this can be exploited. How do individuals react to value appeals that are inconsistent with the communicator’s value reputation? This paper examines this question in the context of right-wing populist parties, who are strongly associated with conservation values. In two experiments, the effects of consistent and inconsistent value appeals on perception (study 1) and persuasion (study 2) are investigated. It is expected that consistent values will be perceived stronger than inconsistent values, but that both kind of appeals can be persuasive when they match with the audience’s value orientation. The results confirm these expectations and show that especially individuals with lower formal education can be persuaded to support right-wing populist claims when these are promoted with inconsistent but matching value appeals.