Do Voters Shake Off Policy Stances?: A Look into the Impact of Celebrities on Policy Recall

Authors

Alyssa A. Noe, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Dona-Gene Barton

Committee Members

Kevin Smith, Pierce Ekstrom

Date of this Version

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: Political Science

Under the supervision of Professor Dona-Gene Barton

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Alyssa A. Noe. Used by permission

Abstract

Celebrities try to influence politics by leveraging their ability to command attention. But does a celebrity’s endorsement of a policy impact citizens’ ability to recall the policy? This paper examines if people’s information processing, specifically policy recall, is impacted by a celebrity’s endorsements. Data was collected at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the fall 2024 semester using a student sample. Participants were randomly assigned into three experimental groups. I hypothesize that the more recognizable a celebrity is the more likely people are to be able to recall the policy they posted. By using Taylor Swift as the well-known celebrity and Tate McRae as the lesser-known celebrity, people’s recall is tested on five different policy positions: immigration, gun control, abortion rights, college tuition, and renewable energy. As more celebrities make public political statements, this research is crucial to understanding just how much influence celebrities have on how individuals process and recall policy information.

Advisor: Dona-Gene Barton