Comedy Types and Political Campaigns: The Differential Influence of Other-Directed Hostile Humor and Self-Ridicule on Candidate Evaluations

Abstract

The current study assesses the effect of exposure to diverse comedy types, measuring the differential impact of other-directed hostile humor and self-ridicule on feelings toward John McCain. Specifically, the analyses use experimental data collected in 2009 to compare the differential impact of viewing a video clip of John McCain's playful self-satire on Saturday Night Live with the effects of exposure to the more aggressive, judgmental, other-directed hostile humor of Stephen Colbert. The results suggest that viewers cool toward McCain after exposure to Stephen Colbert's other-directed hostile humor. Additional analyses show that the effect of exposure to varied types of political humor is direct and relatively impervious to moderation by political partisanship. Implications of the findings and their ability to help researchers understand the differential influence of varied comedy message types on political evaluations and attitudes is discussed.

Notes

¹Of interest, the Midwestern campus was 64% Democrat, 20% Republican, and 16% Independent, whereas the campus in the South was 22% Democrat, 19% Independent, and 59% Republican. Students in the Midwest were less conservative (M = 3.25, SD = 1.49) than students in the South (M = 4.88, SD = 1.34).

Note. N = 355. Cell entries for all models are final standardized regression coefficients.

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

²Initially, two analyses of variance (ANOVA) examined the potential moderating influence of partisanship exploring whether (a) feeling thermometer ratings for McCain differed significantly across condition for Democrats, and (b) feeling thermometer ratings for McCain differed significantly across condition for Republicans. Significant results emerged for the Democrats in the sample, F(3, 174) = 2.81, p < .05, η = .05, and a series of post hoc t tests revealed a significant difference in evaluations of McCain for Democrats exposed to the other-directed, hostile humor of Stephen Colbert versus Democrats exposed to the straight news condition (t = −2.36, p < .05). Specifically, the mean feeling thermometer rating for Democrats exposed to the other-directed hostile humor was 30.70 (SD = 21.80) compared to the mean feeling thermometer rating for Democrats exposed to the straight news clip (M = 41.43, SD = 20.89). To more fully explore the potential moderating influence of partisanship on exposure to differential humor types, an OLS regression model was subsequently constructed and is discussed at length under the Analysis 2 section.

Note. N = 355. Cell entries for all models are before–entry standardized regression coefficients for Block 2 and final standardized regression coefficients for Block 1. SNL = Saturday Night Live; Colbert = The Colbert Report.

***p < .001.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amy B. Becker

Amy B. Becker (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies at Towson University. Her current research areas include: public opinion and citizen participation on controversial political issues; the political effects of exposure and attention to political entertainment, especially late-night comedy, new media, and science communication.