The Impact of Televised Speeches and Foreign Travel on Presidential Approval

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 53, Heft 1, S. 58-82

Abstract

Conventional wisdom asserts that televised speeches & foreign travel by the US president (1) have increased over time, (2) exert a uniformly positive impact on public evaluations of the president's performance, & (3) can be used as a strategy for influencing the president's approval ratings. Here, this conventional wisdom is evaluated, with focus on the value of televised speeches & foreign travel as influences on presidential approval. Analysis of published poll data collected at times of major presidential televised speeches & foreign travel casts considerable doubt on the conventional wisdom & leads to the conclusion that the use of political drama is not an all-purpose strategy guaranteed to halt declines or replenish sizable losses of presidential approval. 5 Tables, 1 Appendix, 43 References. Modified HA