Changing the Subject: An Analysis of Candidates' Issue Emphasis in Televised Election Debates, 1985-2019

Election debates are key campaign events that allow citizens to compare politicians' issue positions side-by-side. While debate moderators try to keep candidates on-topic to contrast issue positions, candidates can try to shift the debate to off-topic issues instead. Election debates thus provide a unique setting to study candidates' issue emphasis. In this context, we study: who veers off-topic, on which issues, and when? Our theory-driven quantitative content analysis of 24 Belgian election debates (1985-2019) shows that different candidates are equally likely to veer off-topic, but when they do, they emphasize their party's core issues and follow previous off-topic speaking turns.

Automated summary

Election debates serve as crucial campaign events for citizens to compare politicians' issue positions. Our study examines who veers off-topic, on which issues, and when during these debates. The findings indicate that different candidates are equally likely to deviate from the topic, but they emphasize their party's core issues and follow previous off-topic speaking turns.