Buzz
Elections are influenced by more than just policy positions. Factors such as a candidate's personality, fundraising skills, and even their vocal tone play a significant role.
Casey Klofstad, a political scientist at the University of Miami, conducted two studies examining how voice pitch impacts voter preferences. The research, published in PLOS ONE and Political Psychology, involved experiments where participants listened to voices adjusted to higher and lower pitches, as well as an analysis of actual results from the 2012 U.S. House elections.
In multiple experiments involving hundreds of participants, mock elections were held between candidates of varying ages and genders. Participants listened to two candidates of the same gender saying, “I urge you to vote for me this November,” and selected the one they found more trustworthy and likely to support. Additionally, the study analyzed videos of 796 candidates from the 2012 House of Representatives races to compare the pitch of their voices against their opponents.
Participants showed a stronger preference for candidates with deeper voices, and in real House elections, those with lower-pitched voices tended to win more often. However, in races where a male candidate competed against a female candidate, men with higher-pitched voices had a better chance of winning. In one experiment, lower voices were associated with traits like strength, competence, and age, though age had less impact on electability. The preference for deeper voices was most pronounced when participants evaluated candidates of their own gender—men favoring men and women favoring women.
The studies only establish a correlation between candidates with deeper voices and electoral success, without confirming whether these individuals were inherently more effective or charismatic leaders. Nonetheless, the findings suggest a potential subtle bias against higher-pitched voices in politics, which could disproportionately affect women. On average, women's voices are twice as high as men's, and they already encounter significant obstacles in political campaigns.
