Taylor Swift and Influence: Sorting out the Effects of Celebrity and Other Political Endorsement

In this article we examine the effect of Taylor Swift's hypothetical endorsement of a Public policy position. We examine this in the context of not just the expanding literature on the effects of celebrity endorsements, but also through the lens of Robert Cialdini's work on the seven factors of influence. Through a post-test only experimental survey design we test Swift's endorsement of a policy position, compared with the effects of social proof, scarcity, and authority. We find that Swift's endorsement is at least as influential as these other elements of influence, and possibly more so. We conclude with informed speculation about why Swift's value as an endorser may be particularly high. The survey was approved by BGSU’s Institutional Review Board (IRBNet ID Number: 2072943-2).