The expression effects of uncivil disagreement: the mechanisms of cognitive dissonance and self-perception

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Political incivility is pervasive and still on the rise. Although empirical studies have examined the effects of exposure to political incivility in different contexts, few have attempted to investigate the expression effects of incivility on its senders. This study proposes two mechanisms—cognitive dissonance and self-perception—to explain the expression effects of political incivility on anger, perceptions of incivility, and political participation. The study conducts a population-based online survey experiment (N = 413) in Hong Kong. Participants were either forced to express uncivil or civil disagreements or did so voluntarily. The results suggest that expressing uncivil disagreement increases anger and perceptions of incivility. However, no difference is found between the forced and self-selection conditions, indicating that self-perception is more applicable than cognitive dissonance. In addition, the study finds that expressing uncivil disagreement influences political participation via both anger and perceptions of incivility, though the effects run in opposite directions.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberhqac032
Pages (from-to)251-259
Number of pages9
JournalHuman Communication Research
Volume49
Issue number3
Early online dateDec 30 2022
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2023

Keywords

  • cognitive dissonance
  • expression effect
  • political incivility
  • self-perception
  • swearing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Anthropology
  • Linguistics and Language

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