Who is talking? How source credibility affects presentational blame-avoidance strategies

This chapter examines how the effects of blaming on policy approval are conditioned by the source of the statements and its credibility. The authors conduct two experiments on two different policy areas, on restrictive migration policy, where right-wing parties are more credible sources, and on taxing the rich, where left-wing parties are more credible. The results indicate that source credibility matters but that its effect depends on the context. The chapter finds that a deservingness frame blaming migrants for claiming child benefits for children living in their home countries leads to a strong counter-reaction by participants and lower policy approval if the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the source of the communication. In contrast, policy approval was higher in the 'taxing the rich' experiment if left-wing parties were the source of the statement. Apparently, right-wing parties are not credible with strong calls for redistribution, which leads to lower acceptance of corresponding policies.