Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of Communication
First Advisor
Cynthia Lou Coleman
Date of Publication
Spring 9-11-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.) in Communication
Department
Communication
Language
English
Subjects
Presidents -- United States -- Inaugural addresses -- Public opinion, United States -- Public opinion, Presidential candidates -- United States -- Public opinion, Donald Trump (1946- ) -- Oratory, American speeches addresses etc., Communication in politics
DOI
10.15760/etd.5690
Physical Description
1 online resource (v, 73 pages)
Abstract
This study asks whether and how the presidential inaugural address influences American audiences. The current study explores how the 2017 Presidential Inaugural Address of Donald Trump influences audiences. Two areas were studied: Candidate image and the state of the nation. I hypothesized that participants who watched the address would have different attitudes regarding candidate image and the state of the nation compared to non-viewers. I also hypothesized that viewers of the address who voted for Donald Trump would respond differently to candidate image and the state of the nation when compared with those who did not vote for Trump.
With one exception, none of the findings was significant. That is, attitudes of inaugural address viewers and non-viewers were similar, and attitudes of those who voted for the president and those who did not vote for the president were also similar. The exception was noted between those who voted for the candidate and oppositional voters: Those who voted for Donald Trump reported the nation is headed "in the right direction" while dissenters disagreed.
Rights
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/21274
Recommended Citation
Rush, Kyle Alexander, "Influence of the Presidential Inaugural Address on Audience Perceptions of Candidate Image and the State of the Nation" (2017). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3806.
https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.5690