The Authentic A**hole: Candidate consistency, causality, and the vote

Breitenstein, Sofia, Kenny, John, Larner, Jac, Stiers, Dieter and Lewis-Beck, Michael S. (2025) The Authentic A**hole: Candidate consistency, causality, and the vote. Polity, 57 (2). ISSN 0032-3497

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Abstract

Despite politicians’ authenticity being increasingly invoked in public discourse to explain their electoral fortunes, empirical research on the trait in electoral studies remains nascent. Here we advance our knowledge through a vignette survey experiment carried out on a national British sample. Firstly, we demonstrate that respondents are more likely to perceive a hypothetical politician as authentic when that politician resists political pressure in order to maintain a consistency between their stated policy positions and their political actions. This is the case whether respondents agree with their policy position or not. We also show that a candidate being perceived as authentic carries electoral benefits for them. Furthermore, consistency between a politician’s policy position and their actions enhances citizens’ perception of authenticity, consequently increasing the likelihood that they will vote for that politician. This study contributes to understanding authenticity in politics, offering valuable insights into the causal mechanisms of its electoral implications.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	authenticity,vote intention,consistency,survey experiment,policy position,immigration,political science and international relations,sociology and political science,sdg 10 - reduced inequalities ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3320
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	27 Feb 2025 13:30
Last Modified:	03 Mar 2025 13:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98620
DOI:	10.1086/734478

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