Don’t blame the messenger? An assessment of public regulations announcements and support for the governing party and the public policy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials became increasingly visible in the media, sometimes appearing alone or alongside elected officials to announce policy changes and updates on the virus. To what extent does varying the official chosen to announce a new policy affect public support for the governing party and the policy? To answer this question, we analyze data from a survey experiment fielded in March 2022 announcing the implementation of additional COVID-19 vaccine requirements. We draw from three experimental treatments that manipulate who delivers the message and a control group. We find no discernable difference in either political or policy support when this message is delivered by a scientific expert, a political leader or both. The sole exception is the personal impact delivering this message has on the Premier’s rating, although this loss is only evident among those already opposed to COVID-19 regulations.