Political scandal refers to the unethical behavior of government officials or leaders, often resulting in calls for accountability and change. These events can drastically diminish public trust in political institutions, impact voter turnout, and increase cynicism about political processes. The media plays a critical role in exposing and shaping the narrative around these events, and politicians themselves can respond by denying or apologizing for their actions, all of which influence how citizens perceive the scandalous news.
While researchers from a variety of disciplines—including political science, psychology, and communication research—have investigated the effects of political scandals, there is still much work to be done. There are some consistent findings and trends, but the scope of certain effects remains largely unclear due to moderator variables such as citizens’ previous views/attitudes, general levels of trust and cynicism, and partisanship.
Finally, it is important to note that the majority of studies that have examined the effects of scandalous information analyze fictitious or invented political scandals rather than real ones. A smaller share of the literature has analyzed actual political scandals, with corruption and sex being the most common subtypes.
A final point worth highlighting is that the way in which politicians’ misbehavior turns into scandal should surprise no one. While voters may scratch their heads wondering how bad behavior gets transformed into a public scandal, Dziuda and Howell point out that this process is deeply political in nature. Scandals are a result of political calculus that involves considerations such as cost-benefit calculations and the extent to which particular behavior is viewed as dishonest.
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