U.S. presidential debates 1948–2020: an issue of formality and respect

Abstract

This article investigates the level of formality in presidential debates. Using content analytic techniques, this study documents trends in address terms (ranging from the use of honorific titles to interpersonal insults) in presidential debates from 1948 to 2020. An availability sample of 241 debates (94% of all presidential primary and general election debates), including 21,857 coding units, reveal an overall decline in formal communication via the use of appropriate honorific titles and subsequent growth in informal and disrespectful references. Incivility spiral theory offers an interpretative framework that links the increase in informal patterns of communication to the growing level of incivility in debate discourse. Within this framework, it is speculated that a shift toward informality could be linked to a larger incivility spiral that will continue into the future. Beyond the link to incivility, it is also argued the shift toward informality may have a range of unique negative consequences.