How Leaders' Personality Traits Shape National Perceptions: A Psychological Look at Media Effects

reciprocity perceptionprojection effectonline experimentattitude formationPolitical Behavior @AJPS 5 datasets Dataverse

This study examines how news coverage of foreign leaders' personal characteristics influences public attitudes toward their country and citizenry.

Experimental Design

Researchers conducted an online experiment analyzing media effects. The results reveal a novel psychological phenomenon where individuals transfer emotions and perceptions about a leader's traits to his or her nation and people.

Key Findings

* News coverage of foreign leaders' personal characteristics significantly impacts evaluations of that country's citizens.

* Such reporting also strongly influences emotional sentiment (like respect) toward the leader's country.

Beyond Conventional Wisdom

This research provides empirical evidence for concerns previously raised in political science literature. It shows how personalized information can shape national-level perceptions, sometimes overriding more rational assessments.

Article card for article: Tell Me Who Is Your Leader, and I Will Tell You Who You Are: Foreign Leaders' Perceived Personality and Public Attitudes Toward Their Countries and Citizenry

Tell Me Who Is Your Leader, and I Will Tell You Who You Are: Foreign Leaders' Perceived Personality and Public Attitudes Toward Their Countries and Citizenry was authored by Meital Balmas. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2018.