2021 Research Headlines

1. We took a deep dive into the results of the 2020 election and saw that once again white women—the single largest voting bloc in this country—were a big part of the story. Overall, more white women chose Trump, and by a bigger margin than in 2016. But where we focused our efforts, in Michigan and Wisconsin, white women moved significantly toward Biden. This shift proved critical to a Biden victory. We’re expanding the strategies we used in these states to grow our impact heading into 2022, 2024, and beyond.

2. Polarization continues to pose a grave threat to our democracy. One reason we’re so divided is that we are not all working off the same set of facts. With our partners at GQR, we studied how white women are being targeted with disinformation and how it is reaching them so that we can develop strategies to protect against it. We learned that it’s not how much someone uses social media that matters, it’s how many platforms they use. Women who use one or two social media platforms are much more likely to encounter and believe disinformation than those who spend more time online across many platforms.

Disinformation Narratives Women Find Believable
over 50% of those surveyed responded to these narratives as either very or somewhat believable

3. A core aspect of our work, including our research, is taking the time to deeply understand our target audience and what drives their vote choice. In 2021, we learned that “kitchen table issues”—the economy, jobs, and healthcare—remain top concerns for moderate white women. COVID, immigration, climate change, and crime also rose to the top for this voting bloc. White women who are persuadable across the issues of COVID, climate, and prescription drug prices highly value responsibility and fairness. Messages that are most successful at moving these voters speak directly to their desire to protect their in-group (especially children) and keep their communities clean and safe. Emphasizing a belief in fairness, that hard work should pay off, and tying a core theme of religious teachings—compassion for the less fortunate—to political applications are effective message frames. Activating women’s patriotism and respect for authority figures are proven effective as well.

4. Galvanize Action developed and field tested over 100 successful persuasion messages last year to inoculate against disinformation and grievance politics. The messages were rooted in neuroscience and designed to meet people at their values.

Values At Play In A Successful Rapid Message Test

White women overall were more likely (+8 point shift) to support vaccine mandates for adults after seeing this message, with an even larger shift among the 35-54 year old age group (+26) and those living in rural areas (+14).

5. A majority (61%) of moderate white women across Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia believe the country is on the wrong track, and their faith in government is eroding. Keeping this large group of voters engaged and supported to resist disinformation and stand up for what they believe in will be critical in the months and years ahead.