The Best of Intentions: Can Messages About Political Exclusion Affect Political Ambition?

Professor Yanna Krupnikov, Stony Brook University

Media coverage of women in politics often focuses on the under-representation and marginalization of women in government. This type of coverage is rarely malicious: activists and journalists underscore the difficulties women face in politics in order to increase public awareness and remedy the issue. In this project we consider whether these messages of political exclusion affect women's political ambition. Using two national studies, we demonstrate that women and men respond differently to messages about women’s representation in politics, even when those messages are designed to promote women's participation. We find that messages that aim to increase awareness of women's under-representation in politics leave women more hesitant to seek public office. In contrast, message about women's exclusion lead men to feel more positive and optimistic about the benefits of holding office. Our results hold implications for the political recruitment of under-represented groups.

Yanna Krupnikov is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University. Her research and teaching focus on political psychology, political communication, political persuasion, political behavior and empirical methodology. Broadly, her research considers the potential for power in information. She integrates psychology and political science in order to identify points at which new information can have the most profound effect on the way people form political opinions, make political choices and, ultimately, take political actions. Her work has been published in such journals as the American Journal of Political Science, Political Communication, and Political Behavior. Her secondary research agenda focuses on experimental methodology and measurement.