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Fear as a Campaign Tool: Evidence from the 2014 U.S. Ebola Scare / Filipe R. Campante, Emilio Depetris-Chauvin, Ruben Durante.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Campante, Filipe R.
- Series:
- Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w35660.
- NBER working paper series no. w35660
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);
- Place of Publication:
- Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2026.
- Summary:
- We study the supply of political communication highlighting perceived threats, using the 2014 Ebola scare as a natural experiment. Analyzing Twitter posts and congressional newsletters from US House and Senate candidates, we find Republicans increased Ebola-related communication, emphasizing negative sentiment and links to immigration. This response was strongest in safe Republican seats, consistent with base signaling. The supply side was active, not reactive: the Republican response did not vary with proximity to diagnosed cases despite concentrated voter anxiety, politician tweets predicted public Ebola activity but not vice-versa, and more intensive messaging correlated with better electoral outcomes, controlling for local conditions.
- Notes:
- August 2026.
- Print version record
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