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The candidates in their own words: A textual analysis of 2016 president primary debates

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  • Weifeng Zhong

Abstract

In the 2016 election cycle, the two major parties held 20 primary debates, and the candidates spoke hundreds of thousands of words. In this paper, I turn them into "word data" and examine three characteristics of the candidates: (1) Where do the candidates stand on a spectrum of policy positions? (2) How negative are the candidates' political sentiments? (3) How effectively do the candidates' speeches deliver content? This word-data approach makes possible observations that are difficult to discover with conventional methods. For example, I find the political speeches of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump appear moderate in policy positions, positive in political sentiments, and effective in delivering content.

Suggested Citation

  • Weifeng Zhong, 2016. "The candidates in their own words: A textual analysis of 2016 president primary debates," AEI Economic Perspectives, American Enterprise Institute, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:aei:journl:y:2016:id:882015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Grimmer, Justin & Stewart, Brandon M., 2013. "Text as Data: The Promise and Pitfalls of Automatic Content Analysis Methods for Political Texts," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(3), pages 267-297, July.
    2. Laver, Michael & Benoit, Kenneth & Garry, John, 2003. "Extracting Policy Positions from Political Texts Using Words as Data," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 97(2), pages 311-331, May.
    3. Daniel J. Hopkins & Gary King, 2010. "A Method of Automated Nonparametric Content Analysis for Social Science," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(1), pages 229-247, January.
    4. Lucas, Christopher & Nielsen, Richard A. & Roberts, Margaret E. & Stewart, Brandon M. & Storer, Alex & Tingley, Dustin, 2015. "Computer-Assisted Text Analysis for Comparative Politics," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(2), pages 254-277, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. J. Eric Oliver & Wendy M. Rahn, 2016. "Rise of the Trumpenvolk," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 667(1), pages 189-206, September.

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