Voicing Politics: How Language Shapes Public Opinion

The linguistic peculiarities of different languages can influence political attitudes and beliefs, as demonstrated by Efrén Pérez and Margit Tavits in their book "Voicing Politics." They show how language shapes mass opinion on issues such as gender equality, LGBTQ rights, environmental conservation, and candidate evaluations through experiments and survey data. This book calls on scholars to take linguistic nuances more seriously and suggests new directions for research in political behavior and other fields.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 25 October 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Voicing Politics is a groundbreaking book that delves into the fascinating relationship between language and political beliefs. Written by Efrén Pérez and Margit Tavits, this book combines the latest findings from psychology and political science to shed light on how the linguistic peculiarities of different languages can shape political attitudes and beliefs worldwide. The authors argue that different languages can make mental content more or less accessible, thereby influencing political opinions and preferences in predictable directions. To test this hypothesis, they conduct rigorous experiments and analyze rich cross-national survey data, demonstrating how language shapes mass opinion on various issues such as gender equality, LGBTQ rights, environmental conservation, ethnic relations, and candidate evaluations.

The book explores how these patterns emerge in polities across the globe, providing valuable insights into how seemingly insignificant linguistic quirks can have profound effects on our political views. It challenges scholars of political behavior to take linguistic nuances more seriously and proposes new directions for research across diverse fields. By gaining a deeper understanding of the linguistic effects on political cognition, the book aims to help us better understand how people form political attitudes and why political outcomes vary across nations and regions.

Voicing Politics is a must-read for anyone interested in politics, language, and cognitive psychology. It offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the complex interplay between these three domains, providing valuable insights into how we can navigate the political landscape more effectively and promote greater understanding and unity among diverse communities.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691215143