US Presidential Debates: 3 Studies You Should Know About
From Denise-Marie Ordway, writing for the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School:
With the first presidential debate before the 2020 general election one week away, journalists across the U.S. will be trying to help voters understand the importance of this national event and how it could alter the outcome of the race.
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, President Donald Trump will face off against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the first of three televised debates. Their final debate is set for Oct. 22.
Every four years, after the major political parties’ nominating conventions conclude, U.S. newsrooms turn their focus to the presidential debates. They’re typically a chance for candidates to appear before a national audience of tens of millions of people and explain their policies, convey their likability and convince voters they are qualified for the position.
The first of the 2016 general election debates, which featured Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, drew an estimated 84 million people, airing live on 13 television networks, according to Nielsen TV ratings. About 71.6 million viewers tuned in for the final presidential debate in 2016.
The 2020 presidential debates and the lone vice presidential debate likely will be the most-watched TV programs this fall, media consultant Brad Adgate writes in Forbes magazine.
Adgate explains: “With the pandemic curtailing campaign rallies, a polarized political climate, the ratings spike of newscasts, the lack of original programming content on competitive cable networks, an unpredictable president who constantly courts media attention (including expected complaints about the moderator and format) and recent debates setting TV audience records, the 2020 debates could average 100 million viewers, joining ten Super Bowls (including this year’s) and the M*A*S*H finale in 1983 to reach that audience threshold.”
For the rest, including links to the three studies (Learning From the 2016 U.S. General Election Presidential Debates, Making Debating Great Again: U.S. Presidential Candidates’ Use of Aggressive Communication for Winning Presidential Debates and Do Presidential Debates Matter? Examining a Decade of Campaign Debate Effects), click here.