A study conducted by two political science professors compared the language used by the candidates in the 2016 American Presidential election. According to the survey, Trump’s supporters display “high levels” of conspiracy theories, nativism, and economic uncertainty.
Trump’s populist rhetoric fits well with populist politics. His language is geared towards the idea that elites mistreat ordinary citizens. Trump believes that he, his supporters, and the elites can be overthrown by working together.
Trump is using the old trick of creating an image of the world divided between “us” (Trump) and “them.” He focuses on the two messages that reinforce divisions: “stopping immigration from certain groups” and “making America Great Again.”
His labeling of immigrants as “out-groups” creates an identity shared by his followers as “in-groups.” Politics is a contest between “good” citizens and “bad” terrorists. Since time immemorial, this technique has been used to manipulate people in power, and the “bad” people change according to the circumstances.
It’s an old trick, but it works because the brain is highly sensitive to attacks from outside groups on members of our group. Out-group attacks were often seen as an existential threat by the ingroup. This meant that the group had to rally behind its leader in order to protect itself.
Trump’s message is based on the notion that those in power are mistreating ordinary citizens. Brian Snyder/Reuters
Trump’s main message behind the idea of “making America great again” is that the elites made bad trade agreements that sent manufacturing jobs overseas. The percentage of US workers working in manufacturing has decreased, from 24% in 60 to 8% in 2016. People who lost manufacturing jobs, regardless of whether the loss was due to bad trade deals or not, believe in his message.
Donald Trump’s popularity is explained by the fact that he was popular among white men who worked in these industries. Trump also rallies people by using the “us” (the hardworking people) against “them” (the corrupt ruling elite).
Polarised populace
It is not surprising that the American electorate since Trump announced he would run for the US presidency, has been split into groups who are strongly opposed to each other. Minorities, women, and college-educated left-wing liberals support Hillary Clinton primarily, while white males of working class, evangelicals, and right-wing conservatism support Donald Trump mainly.
Both groups assert that they are the ones who adhere to universal standards.
According to Moral Foundations Theory, which attempts to explain why morality differs between people and cultures, both groups may be right, but they are actually motivated by different moral motives. According to psychological research, both right and left-wing voters are motivated primarily by fairness and kindness, while traditions, loyalty, and sanctity drive the latter.
This moral difference between Democrats and Republicans could be one reason why the political polarisation of America is so important. How can the views of both sides be brought together?
Some people think using intellectual arguments to convince others is the best way to do so. According to Drew Weston, a psychology professor, this approach may be ineffective. In his book The Political Brain from 2008, he claims that Al Gore and John Kerry were defeated by the “less intelligent” George Bush during the US presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 because Bush was better at appealing to voters’ emotions.
He claims that voters aren’t rational decision-makers who base their decisions on policy. Elections are decided more by the way people feel, first by their feelings towards parties and principles, then by the way they feel about candidates.
Once people form an opinion about a political party or individual, it is very difficult to change that view. People actively seek out information that confirms the beliefs they hold and ignore information that contradicts them. This is known as Confirmation Bias.
The American electorate is divided into two groups that are strongly opposed to each other. Stephanie Keith/Reuters
In a recent neuroimaging study, my colleagues and I discovered further scientific evidence of confirmation bias. We found that the brain regions involved in processing information are more active when people observe positive messages from leaders in their group and negative statements from leaders from outside of their group. This indicates that people are more likely to listen to messages that confirm their beliefs, like our group being “good” while the other group being “bad.”
Donald Trump may have been right when he claimed that his supporters would vote for him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue.
What can you do?
How can the next US president bring his country back together and get people to move from the extremes of left or right on the political spectrum towards the middle? Hillary Clinton will need to be sensitive to the concerns of people about illegal immigration and job losses in manufacturing.
According to Kai Arzheimer’s research, lowering immigration rates and reducing unemployment could be necessary in order to stem the rise of extremist right-wing beliefs. Although everyone agrees that lowering the unemployment rate is a positive thing, some people on the left may not be in favor of reducing immigration.
According to recent figures, there are around 11,000,000 undocumented migrants and 42,4 million immigrants in total. It’s not the number of immigrants but the perception that certain immigrants are a perceived cultural or economic threat to the country’s citizens that is important.
Right-wingers are very sensitive about the arrival of foreigners from other cultures in their country. They see it as a threat to their moral foundations, such as authority, purity, and loyalty. It may explain why German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door asylum policy has given rise to extreme right-wing opinions in Germany.
Psychological research shows when people feel threatened, their political views move to the right. A solid immigration policy is, therefore, essential to curbing extremism on the right. In the same way, extreme leftist views such as unlimited immigration and open borders may have the opposite impact of what they hope to achieve.
All of this suggests that Democrats should also make tackling unauthorized migration into America a top priority. If this happens, the support for legal immigration will likely grow. A path to legalization could be opened up for undocumented migrants.
