Kate Austin: Journalism On-the-go

10/29/08

By Kate Austin

ELON STUDENTS AVOID TRENDS AND SAY “NO” TO CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS

Trends – celebrities set them, and Americans follow them. But can celebrities set voting trends? Can a Hollywood star or starlet’s opinion about who should be running the free world affect the overall voting outcome?

In a survey of Elon University students on the affect celebrity endorsements of political candidates have on a student’s vote, 89 out of 100 students surveyed said they would not be affected by the endorsement of a presidential candidate by their favorite celebrity.

“I don’t think celebrity endorsements affect voters very much,” junior Wayne Nock said. “I think endorsements from prominent politicians, for example Colin Powell for Obama, carry more weight.”

Other students echoed this idea. Senior Caroline DeLaney thinks that when well-respected politicians endorse a candidate, it is more effective than an entertainment celebrity.

“Every decision a politician makes needs to be for the greater outcome and greater good,” she said. “Often times, the right way and the easy way are not the same, and a genuine politician can stand up in the face of dissent and stand strong. If these types of political figures endorse a candidate, the outcome is likely to both persuade people and motivate people to vote for that candidate.”

As for following celebrity opinions, Jason Strafstrom, a senior, fears the effect careless voters will have on the election.

“Just because celebrities are largely popular and moderately attractive does not mean that the general public should value their opinions on politics any more than they value Joe the plumber’s,” he said. “I suspect that those who are swayed by celebrity appearances and opinions are probably the ones who don’t really care about politics. They are on par with the women voting for Palin because she’s a woman and the blacks who are voting for Obama because he’s black, which is what I fear is the deeper issue: voter apathy.”

Most Elon students who participated in the poll say that they do not need motivation to vote but agree that celebrities are doing a good thing by encouraging people to vote in general, such as the cast of ABC Family’s show, Greek, participating in Rock the Vote advertisements.

A video posted on Youtube, “5 Friends Uncensored”, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way, received over 1,700,000 hits. It shows a number of celebrities telling people not to vote, using reverse psychology to grab audiences’ attention and inspire young people to register and vote in the upcoming election.

“I do think [celebrities] motivate people to vote in general…for instance, the “Don’t Vote” celebrity video was very effective and moving, in my opinion,” said junior Max Korn.

Ben Kaufman, also a junior, agreed. “Without question, I think celebrity endorsements are particularly helpful in reaching out to new and younger voters who may be taking part in an election for the first time,” he said. “Seeing those popular icons on the TV doesn’t appeal to young people because it’s ‘cool’ or ‘trendy’ but rather because they’ll listen to a pop icon they like, trust or believe in.”

Fifty-eight of the 100 students surveyed said that it bothers them when it seems like a celebrity is trying to boost their own status by endorsing a presidential candidate. The students said they are more likely to lose respect for the celebrity that endorses a candidate that the student dislikes, rather than it affecting their view on the candidate himself.

“I think some celebrities just want to get on the trendy bandwagon,” junior Joanna Bateman said. “It sometimes just seems like they want to be photographed holding the latest and greatest clutch, but this time the clutch isn’t glittery, its Barack Obama.”