The Power of Political Branding. A Qualitative Study of Swedish Voters' Perceptions of Political Branding and its Consequences
(2024) BUSN39 20241Department of Business Administration
- Abstract (Swedish)
- This thesis investigates Swedish voters’ perceptions of political branding and its consequences in a nation characterized by high institutional trust and low corruption. Political branding, a tool for shaping voter opinions, perceptions, and behavior, has gained significant traction in recent years. While traditionally viewed as beneficial for democracy, emerging critiques suggest it may hinder conscious voter decision-making. Employing in-depth interviews with ten Swedish voters, the study delves into their lived experiences and underlying cognitive processes.
The results show that voters perceive political branding as an important short-term, market-oriented tool to win votes and gain power. While they long for more honest and... (More) - This thesis investigates Swedish voters’ perceptions of political branding and its consequences in a nation characterized by high institutional trust and low corruption. Political branding, a tool for shaping voter opinions, perceptions, and behavior, has gained significant traction in recent years. While traditionally viewed as beneficial for democracy, emerging critiques suggest it may hinder conscious voter decision-making. Employing in-depth interviews with ten Swedish voters, the study delves into their lived experiences and underlying cognitive processes.
The results show that voters perceive political branding as an important short-term, market-oriented tool to win votes and gain power. While they long for more honest and long-term brand-oriented political branding characterized by promise-keeping, consistency, and a shared worldview between them and the political brands, voters currently perceive political brands as untrustworthy. Furthermore, while expressing an understanding of potential democratic threats, they neglect the possibility of their own manipulation, which underscores the power of political branding in Sweden today. Additionally, low perceived trust leads to apathy about the political system as a whole and possibly not voting at all, a phenomenon we term political atheism.
The findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of voters’ perceptions of political branding in a high-trust democracy. The findings reveal both potential advantages, such as clear communication of political stances, and potential drawbacks, such as anxieties surrounding manipulation and a lack of transparency. The study also emphasizes the importance of considering the specific Swedish context, including its multi-party system and established trust in institutions. By offering a qualitative analysis of voter perceptions, this thesis fills a gap in the current body of research, which has primarily relied on quantitative methods and focused on countries with lower levels of institutional trust. It provides valuable insights for future research and contributes to a more informed discussion regarding the role of political branding in a democratic society. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9163973
- author
- Risberg, Isabelle LU and Varga, Alma LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BUSN39 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Political branding, Political marketing, Persuasion, Literacy, Brand Heritage, Democracy, Voters’ Perceptions
- language
- English
- id
- 9163973
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-25 13:25:07
- date last changed
- 2024-06-25 13:25:07
@misc{9163973,
abstract = {{This thesis investigates Swedish voters’ perceptions of political branding and its consequences in a nation characterized by high institutional trust and low corruption. Political branding, a tool for shaping voter opinions, perceptions, and behavior, has gained significant traction in recent years. While traditionally viewed as beneficial for democracy, emerging critiques suggest it may hinder conscious voter decision-making. Employing in-depth interviews with ten Swedish voters, the study delves into their lived experiences and underlying cognitive processes.
The results show that voters perceive political branding as an important short-term, market-oriented tool to win votes and gain power. While they long for more honest and long-term brand-oriented political branding characterized by promise-keeping, consistency, and a shared worldview between them and the political brands, voters currently perceive political brands as untrustworthy. Furthermore, while expressing an understanding of potential democratic threats, they neglect the possibility of their own manipulation, which underscores the power of political branding in Sweden today. Additionally, low perceived trust leads to apathy about the political system as a whole and possibly not voting at all, a phenomenon we term political atheism.
The findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of voters’ perceptions of political branding in a high-trust democracy. The findings reveal both potential advantages, such as clear communication of political stances, and potential drawbacks, such as anxieties surrounding manipulation and a lack of transparency. The study also emphasizes the importance of considering the specific Swedish context, including its multi-party system and established trust in institutions. By offering a qualitative analysis of voter perceptions, this thesis fills a gap in the current body of research, which has primarily relied on quantitative methods and focused on countries with lower levels of institutional trust. It provides valuable insights for future research and contributes to a more informed discussion regarding the role of political branding in a democratic society.}},
author = {{Risberg, Isabelle and Varga, Alma}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The Power of Political Branding. A Qualitative Study of Swedish Voters' Perceptions of Political Branding and its Consequences}},
year = {{2024}},
}