Voters view tall politicians as better suited for leadership
Activer le mode zenNic Fleming
It is not for nothing that top politicians are known as political giants or "big beasts". Voters see tall politicians as better suited for leadership, according to a survey of how people visualise their leaders. Psychologists believe the bias may stem from an evolved preference for physically imposing chiefs who could dominate enemies.
The evolutionary throwback could prove bad news for the Labour Party, assuming Ed Miliband (5ft 11ins) is still its leader and he faces David Cameron (6ft 1in) at the polls in 2015. And while Barack Obama (6ft 1in) saw off John McCain (5ft 8ins) in 2008, he may have a tougher fight on his hands if his opponent in the US presidential election next November is Republican front-runner Mitt Romney (6ft 2ins).
Dr Gregg Murray at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas,was intrigued by the "presidential height index" - a previous finding that the taller of the Republican and Democrat candidates emerged victorious in 58 per cent of US presidential elections between 1789 and 2008.
Pour citer cette ressource :
"Voters view tall politicians as better suited for leadership", La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), octobre 2011. Consulté le 24/04/2024. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/archives/archives-revue-de-presse/voters-view-tall-politicians-as-better-suited-for-leadership