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Politics on Display

Politics on DisplayPolitics on DisplayPolitics on Display

Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces

Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social SpacesYard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces

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Todd Makse, Associate Professor, Florida International University

Email:  tmakse@fiu.edu

Des Moines Register - October 21, 2020

"Some political consultants say “yard signs don’t vote,” but neither do television commercials, radio ads, or Facebook posts. Research shows that yard signs do matter. They help with name recognition, influence turnout, influence candidate vote share, and reflect enthusiasm. Todd Makse, Scott Minkoff, and Anand Sokhey, in their 2019 book,“ Politics on Display, Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces,” make the case that yard signs are uniquely social. Donating and voting are done in private and are invisible, while yard signs are public statements. "


https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2020/10/21/sign-wars-trump-biden-supports-do-battle-rural-iowa-displays/5990216002/

Slate - October 15, 2020

From Anand Sokhey's Interview with Rebecca Onion: "We asked people in the survey components of our study about emotional reactions; we were limited in the kinds of things we could ask, but we asked about a set of emotions like anxiety, anger, and pride. And we saw a relationship between the sign prevalence right around a person and the triggering of these kinds of emotions. That aligns with the idea that we have an emotional reaction to them, when we’re walking around or going past them. The thing that’s interesting about anger is that it’s an action-oriented emotion, and so when we’re angry about something, putting our politics on display is something that we feel like we can do. We can put a sign out; we can think and talk about what we might do if somebody took the sign. So it’s just fitting that, with these kinds of dynamics in politics right now, people are doing this."


https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/10/political-yard-sign-get-off-my-lawn.html

KPCC Southern California Public Radio - October 15, 2020

"As Election Day approaches, there is no shortage of signage. Whether advocating for a presidential candidate, a judgeship, or proposition, signs have become an increasingly familiar marketing strategy and can be found in most residential areas during election cycles. We speak with Anand Sokhey... who researches how citizens experience campaigns, why many still insist on airing their view in public, and what happens when social spaces become political spaces."


https://scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2020/10/14/66130/in-a-polarized-climate-yard-signs-serve-as-a-platf/

Wall Street Journal - October 9, 2020

"People take it personally when their signs—a public display of their identity—are stolen, said Anand Sokhey, co-author of the book “Politics on Display: Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces.” That draws people to file police reports or post footage of the event on social media, said Mr. Sokhey, a political-science professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, even if it’s unlikely that the culprit will be caught.

“There is at least a deterrence that people are trying to go for,” he said."


https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-people-have-doorbell-cameras-thats-a-problem-for-those-who-swipe-trump-and-biden-lawn-signs-11602282887

Illinois Times - February 28, 2019

"Rather than candidates, Todd Makse, a political science professor at Florida International University who’s co-authored a book on campaign yard signs due for publication this spring, focuses on people who display signs and their motives. 'Mostly, it’s about people expressing themselves – I think that’s one of our big takeaways,' Makse says. 'Signs become this kind of identity marking, both in terms of displaying how people feel and how they see other people. Instead of the guy with the yappy dog, it’s the guy who likes Trump. It’s a label.' 


https://illinoistimes.com/article-20979-sign-sign-everywhere-a-sign.html


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