Identity Politics: A Study of Appeals Made During the 2014 Scottish Referendum
Restricted (Penn State Only)
Author:
D'Elena, Hayden
Area of Honors:
Communication Arts and Sciences
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Rachel A. Smith, Thesis Supervisor Mary High, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Identity Politics Scottish Referendum Referendums
Abstract:
Identity politics has been the subject of recent political and communication studies as more and more 21st-century elections deal with identity appeals. This thesis will look at the 2014 Scottish Referendum and what exactly an “identity appeal” is, how other appeals affected the vote of that independence referendum, and how exactly the appeals that were used in the three major debates surrounding the vote may have affected the outcome. The research ultimately finds that identity-based appeals have the most success in securing “yes” votes after publicly televised debates, while other types of appeals have varying effects on “yes” and “undecided” polling voters.
