Data di Pubblicazione:
2015
Citazione:
Non-verbal cues as a test of gender and race bias in politics: the Italian case / S. Iyengar, M. Barisione. - In: RIVISTA ITALIANA DI SCIENZA POLITICA. - ISSN 0048-8402. - 45:2(2015), pp. 131-157.
Abstract:
Gender and race biases persist in Western democracies, with male and white
candidates still being the norm. Voters may be more inclined to express sexist and racist
attitudes in countries with a traditionally male-dominated political system and a majoritywhite
population. Since sexism and racism are notoriously difficult to document, and because
many people are unaware of their biases toward social groups, we bypass conventional survey
measurement and observe voters’ willingness to support candidates whose physical features
have been manipulated to make them appear more prototypically feminine or non-white. We
implemented this approach in the context of the 2013 Italian election, by presenting a national
sample of Italian voters with pictures of male and female parliamentary candidates – both
unknown and well known. Overall, we found no main effects of gender or race bias in
political judgment. For Italian voters, party cues are by far the most powerful indicator of outgroup
status and hence the strongest predictor of candidate perception and support. This result
may be of particular interest to other political contexts characterized by strong partisan
polarization.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Elenco autori:
S. Iyengar, M. Barisione
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