Date of Award
January 2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Heather Terrell
Abstract
Female candidates are at a disadvantage in the political sphere, facing underrepresentation and stereotype hurdles at all levels of elected office. While female candidates have overcome some of these obstacles and won elections at the state and local levels, there has never been a female candidate elected President. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether female and male candidates are judged differently on measures of competence, warmth, traits, and willingness to vote. Employing a 2 (candidate gender) x 2 (participant gender) x 2 (candidate party) manipulation, 370 participants read a fictitious article about Presidential candidates and rated them on various factors. Factorial ANOVAs revealed no significant main or interaction effects. While the current study does not provide evidence for judgment differences in male and female candidates, historical United States election results oppose these findings, calling into question the data quality and manipulation strength of the current study.
Recommended Citation
Laurin, Jenna Nichole, "The Role Of Candidate Gender And Political Support: An Experimental Approach To Understanding Voter Perceptions And Support For Female Presidential Candidates" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 3378.
https://commons.und.edu/theses/3378