Political scandal is an event in which politicians or other government officials are accused of committing illegal, unethical and/or sexual misconduct. A political scandal erodes public trust in the institutions of politics, and can negatively affect citizens’ voting decisions and their engagement with the democratic process. Researchers from a variety of disciplines, including communication research, political science and psychology, have examined the consequences of political scandals, but using different methods and perspectives. This article reviews the existing literature on political scandal, and offers a systematic analysis that brings together these different views, in order to provide a more unified picture of current knowledge and future research directions.
Despite their destructive power, political scandals can lead to important changes in governance and policy-making. For example, the Watergate scandal spurred reforms to tighten campaign finance laws and increase oversight mechanisms. Furthermore, scandals can shape public discourse about the importance of ethical behavior in politics. But the damage caused by these events can also be long-lasting. For example, Supreme Court decisions like Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United have whittled down the legal definition of what counts as corruption, enabling ultra-wealthy donors to wield undue influence over politicians.
This study examines a total of 37 studies that investigate the effects of political scandals (intended voting decision, electoral outcomes and voter turnout). The results of the coding exercise show that a large majority of these studies (n = 35) analyze a single politician or a single party involved in a political scandal. The remaining seven studies examine multipolitician scandals involving two or more politicians from different political parties. This is a good indication that the influence of particular scandals on voters depends largely on their context and political landscape, and is thus a major reason why the effects of these incidents may vary so much.