Abstract
This study examines the relationship between policy narratives and individuals' opinions and preferences on Automatic Voter Registration. The theoretical argument for this relationship is that narratives that contain a character portrayal such as a hero, villain, or victim are more persuasive than a technical narrative. Specifically, a hero portrayal is the most persuasive, then the villain, then the victim, and the technical narrative is the least persuasive. A survey, administered through Microsoft Forms was fielded to College of Wooster students, staff, and faculty. Descriptive statistics were used from the survey's data collection to analyze the hypotheses. The results of this study showed that the narrative containing the victim portrayal was the most persuasive on individuals' opinions and preferences. The hero and villain narratives were very similar in terms of persuasiveness. The hero narrative was slightly more persuasive though. Lastly, as hypothesized the technical narrative was the least persuasive on individuals' opinions and preferences on Automatic Voter Registration.
Advisor
Wrobel, Megan
Department
Political Science
Recommended Citation
Varley, John, "Hero, Villain, Victim Policy Narratives on Automatic Voter Registration: Which Narrative is the Most Persuasive?" (2024). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11077.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11077
Disciplines
Political Science
Keywords
Narrative Policy Framework, persuasion, Automatic Voter Registration
Publication Date
2024
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2024 John Varley
