Lose the label: Messaging effects on Democrats' perceptions of individuals with criminal records and representation.

Abstract

During the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Democratic campaign advertisements frequently labeled Trump as a "convicted criminal," invoking stigmatizing language with empirically known, negative consequences for public perceptions of individuals with criminal records. Leaning upon social categorization theory, propagating such labels on Trump may thereby spillover, impacting constituents' perspectives of individuals with records more broadly. To test for the possibility of stigmatizing language spillover, this preliminary study employs a survey experiment testing exposure to the Party's advertisement, labeling Trump as a "convicted criminal" (n = 814) relative to no advertisement (n = 813), on Democrats' perceptions of individuals with records and several dimensions of perceived representation. Results suggest that exposure to the Trump advertisement with the "convicted criminal" label had significant, negative impacts on Democrats' perceptions of individuals with records, but improved perceived feelings of representation. Importantly, the effect of a counter-stereotype's ability to mitigate these effects was also tested, randomly assigning some participants to receive the perspective of a formerly system-involved state representative before the advertisement (n = 812). Findings suggest that the counter-stereotype vastly ameliorated the negative effects of the advertisement on Democrats' perceptions of individuals with criminal records. While well-powered and aptly-timed field experiments are needed to confirm and extend these findings, utilizing political messaging that elevates dedicated, justice-involved voices within the party rather than rely on stigmatizing attacks should be strongly considered and tested.