Constricting the body politic: Three studies of political communication apprehension and why they matter

Abstract

Much work has been done to capture people’s discomfort with talking about politics. Previous research suggests people are uncomfortable with political conversations for a variety of reasons, though little has been done to synthesize these ideas together. This dissertation continues a research agenda from other graduate students around the United States by working towards a measure of political communication apprehension. Based on existing literature, I propose that political communication reflects a relational behavior as much as a political one and should be measured with both of these contexts in mind. To do so, I offer a review of literature surrounding the philosophies and issues that shape our discomfort with political conversations. I then talk through three studies: Study One builds a scale and tests in exploratory fashion with human respondents. Study Two refines the scale and tests it as a hypothesized model of measurement. Study Three takes the final measurement model and applies it to several hypothesized relationships about political communication apprehension and political behavior. I conclude with discussion about the cultural and relational factors that shape our political communication apprehension and what it means to study it.