televised debates in germany and the uk

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University of Essex, September 11th, 2010

Prof. Thorsten Faas Prof. Dr. Jürgen MaierUniversity of Mannheim University of Koblenz-Landau

E-Mail: Thorsten.Faas@googlemail.com

Yet Another Miniature Campaign. The 2009 German und the UK 2010 Televised Debate in Perspective.

Some preliminary remarksI

II

III Perception

Exposure

IV Effects

2THE AGE OF TELEVISED DEBATES

• USA– 1960 Kennedy – Nixon – Ever since 1976

• Germany– US-style debates in 2002, 2005 and 2009– “institutionalization”

• UK– 2010

3SIGNIFICANCE

• Most important single events in the course of a campaign

• „Miniature Campaigns“- Extremely condensed- Major issues are discussed by major players all within

60-120 minutes.

4WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN-SITUATION

• Candidates ... – Unique opportunity to reach a (huge) audience

• Media:– Televised debates perfectly fit to today's default type of

campaign coverage – horse-race journalism

• Voters? – How do voters „use“ debates?

• Researchers?– Perfectly suited to study (mini) campaign and their effects– Exposure, perceptions, effects

5SURVEY DATA

• Election Study 2002• RCS 2005• German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES) 2010 /

Cross-Section Post-Election

• BES Post-Election 2010

6

June

Cross sections and panel

2002+2005

Election2009

July August September October November

4: Campaign media content analysis

3: Short-term campaign panel

2: RCS with post-election panel wave

5: TV debate analysis

1: Pre-electioncross section

1: Post-election cross section

6: Candidate survey

7: Post-electionlong-term panel

7: Pre-electionlong-term panel

8: Long-term

tracking

9: Long-term media and event analysis

December

Panel 2013+2017

8: Long-term

trackingX: Pre-election online-trackingand multi-level-panel (GESIS and

Uni Frankfurt)

May

German Longitudinal Election Study

7Research Design (n=440)

Right afterdebatePrior to debate

Pre-DebateCoverage

InstantAnalysis

During debate

Debate

A few daysafter debate

Post-DebateCoverage

After ElectionDay

Pretest Questionnaire

Posttest IQuestionnaire

Real-TimeResponse

Measurement(RTR)

Posttest IIQuestionnaire

Posttest IIIQuestionnaire

Pretest Questionnaire

Posttest IQuestionnaireMovie Posttest II

QuestionnairePosttest III

Questionnaire

Con

tent

Anal

ysis

Trea

tmen

tC

ontro

lGro

up

8Measuring Real-Time Responses

Some preliminary remarksI

II

III Perception

Exposure

IV Effects

10EXPOSURE

• Are the debates still blockbusters?

• Are televised debates the „great equalizer“?

11EXPOSURE

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Germany 2005 Germany 2009 UK 2010

„„AnyAny““

12EXPOSURE BY GENDER

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Germany 2005 Germany 2009 UK 2010

Total Male Female

13EXPOSURE BY AGE

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Germany 2005 Germany 2009 UK 2010

Total -29 -44 -59 60+

14EXPOSURE BY INTEREST IN POLITICS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Germany 2005 Germany 2009 UK 2010

Total None Low Medium High Very high

Some preliminary remarksI

II

III Perception

Exposure

IV Effects

16RTR-RESULTS

Advantage Steinmeier

Advantage Merkel„We need rules for the global financialmarkets and we also need an export of

the principles of our social marketeconomy“

„We have to stop this downward spirale of wages. ... If you work the whole day, you

have to earn enough to have a decent life“

Some preliminary remarksI

II

III Perception

Exposure

IV Effects

18EFFECTS

• Do debates have the power to mobilize?

• If so, which segments of the electorate?

19TURNOUT BY EXPOSURE AND INTEREST

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Low Medium High

Seen debate Not seen debate

GERMANY 2009

20TURNOUT BY EXPOSURE AND INTEREST

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Low Medium High

Seen debate Not seen debate

UK 2010

21TURNOUT BY EXPOSURE AND INTEREST

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Low Medium High

Seen debate Not seen debate

UK 2010

Findings are very robust: significant interaction terms

in multivariate models!

22RELATED FINDINGS FROM GERMANY

• People with a lower level of interest in politics...– ... find debates more helpful (subjectively)– ... learn relatively more from debates(objectively)

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