This article examines how parties use moral rhetoric during campaigns to mobilize their supporters. It argues that moral framing activates positive emotions among copartisans, leading to higher turnout.
Data & Methods
The study uses text analysis of party manifestos from six English-speaking democracies and measures voter response through survey data on copartisan behavior.
Key Findings
- Moral rhetoric significantly increases mobilization among supporters of the same party.
- Survey experiments conducted in Britain provide evidence for this effect.
- This finding demonstrates that moral framing has consequences beyond just shaping policy attitudes.
The results show moral rhetoric is an effective campaign strategy with tangible impacts on voter engagement.
