Examining psychological effects of demagogic discourse on perceived threat and political intolerance

Abstract Despite warnings about the increasingly confrontational tone of political discourse, little research has experimentally examined the psychological impact that different political styles may have. We seek to fill this lacuna by investigating whether exposure to a type of political discourse labelled as ‘demagogic discourse’ fosters anti-democratic stances by threatening values and lowering political tolerance. To this end, we conducted three experiments in Spain and the U.S. (N total = 999), where exposure to demagogic v. moderate discourses was manipulated. Ideological affinity was also considered by manipulating whether the ideology of the discourse matched that of participants in Studies 1 and 2. We found support for our hypotheses, as exposure to demagogic discourse increased value threat and reduced political tolerance independent of ideological-matching. Yet, in the U.S., effects on tolerance were moderated by satisfaction with democracy. Ultimately, our research validates warnings about the dangers of demagogic political discourses at a psychological level.