If You Play in the Mud, You Get Dirty: The Appropriation of Amish Group Identity During a Negative Campaign

Abstract

Using an original online experiment, we test whether the appropriation of Amish group identity influences voter behavior. We do not find that the appropriation of Amish group identity influences intended vote choice. However, there is evidence that associating the Amish with a candidate who was subjected to negative advertisements resulted in a reduction in approval rating for the Amish as a group. In addition, we find that the attitudes toward the Amish vary by respondent ideology and, consistent with the contact hypothesis, those individuals who interact regularly with the Amish reported more favorable ratings toward the Amish. The results raise important questions regarding the appropriation of a group’s image in the course of a political campaign.

Keywords: Amish, voting, religion and politics, experiment, group identity, cultural appropriation, presidential election