Political scandal is as old as politics itself, with sex, greed, and self-importance often leading politicians off the straight and narrow. Some political scandals are merely personal, such as extramarital affairs or wrongful death, while others may be more serious and involve alleged corruption at the highest levels of government. These scandals can damage politicians’ reputations and careers, but also spur public outrage and lead to necessary reforms.
Scandals can be the catalyst for change, as they expose unethical behaviour and erode public trust in politicians and institutions. They can also inspire investigative journalism, which is often a key element in uncovering scandals and exposing wrongdoing. In the past, some political scandals have even helped to bring down governments or at least tarnish their image, such as President Reagan’s lying about the hostage crisis and the Watergate scandal.
Over the last four decades, researchers have examined a variety of political scandal effects using a wide range of methodologies and regions. The present study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge by conducting a meta-analysis of seventy-eight studies, collectively including more than 54,000 participants. The analysis reveals that, on average, scandals have negative evaluative consequences for politicians and five central moderators (candidate characteristics, behavior, prior attitudes, context, and scandal type) significantly influence those effects.
Moreover, the study examines how partisanship influences scandal outcomes, revealing that a scandal can hurt politicians with voters but help them with donors. It also sheds new light on why politicians, such as Donald Trump and Congressman George Santos, seem to be immune to scandal, and it demonstrates how the media contributes to this phenomenon by portraying scandal as part of an ongoing horse race.