The West Wing directly influences public's perception of the president

Every week the public takes a journey into the life of Josiah Bartlet, the fictional president portrayed on The West Wing. The show gives viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the daily activities of the president, something real-life presidents rarely provide. According to a new study at the University of Missouri-Columbia, "President" Bartlet is perceived more positively by viewers than either President George W. Bush or former President Bill Clinton, and that viewing The West Wing results in a more positive perception of Bush and Clinton.

"Although a fictional account, this show provides something to the American public that it cannot get from any other source, a vision of what it is like to be president on a daily basis. News is constrained from communicating a depiction of this kind because in the real world there is a constant battle to keep the press at a certain distance from elected officials," said R. Lance Holbert, assistant professor of Communication, who led the study. "This study reveals that it is not just news content that can have an influence on perceptions of the American presidency, but that prime-time entertainment television content like The West Wing also can produce a similar set of priming effects."

Holbert surveyed 195 people, with an average age of 20. Each completed a pretest questionnaire on their perceptions of the president and then viewed an original episode of The West Wing. A second test was completed following the viewing. Holbert divided the study’s data into three groups: principled (integrity, keeps promises, honest, trustworthy, hard working and responsible); engaging (loving, warm, sense of humor and compassionate); and common (similar to ordinary people, fight for ordinary people and understands ordinary people).

The results revealed a general pattern. Bartlet rated higher than both Bush and Clinton on all three character trait indices. Bartlet was rated as more principled and common than Bush, and more principled and engaging than Clinton. The results also revealed that after viewing the show, participants tended to think being compassionate, warm, funny and loving was important to being a successful president.

"The positive images of the American presidency found on the show translated to a more positive image of the sitting President Bush and former President Clinton," Holbert said. "The broader implication of The West Wing is that it speaks directly to past research on entertainment television’s influence on trust in the executive branch of government. I believe the show serves a positive function in that it makes people think better of the American presidency."

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Department of Communication

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