Abstract
The rhetoric used by right-wing anti-immigration politicians is considered important to their political success. Such rhetoric commonly contains figurative frames with metaphor and/or hyperbole. In two experiments (nexperiment1 = 411, nexperiment2 = 407), we tested when and how such figurative frames add to the intense and emotive character of anti-immigration statements and their subsequent persuasiveness. Results showed that different voters respond differently to figuratively framed anti-immigration rhetoric: overall, voters perceived figuratively framed populist statements as more intense and emotive than nonfigurative statements, which caused boomerang effects by decreasing political persuasion. By contrast, right-wing populist voters were not persuaded by rhetorical variations in anti-immigration statements. Our findings underscore how anti-immigration rhetoric can broaden the gap between voters and put in motion further polarization in our society.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 193-212 |
Journal | Discourse Processes |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- political communication
- figurative framing
- hyperbole
- metaphor