In fact, “during the past twenty years, the relationship between the president’s approval level and his ability to influence public opinion has moved from an article of faith…to a standard research topic of political science” (Kernell 2007, 191). Because there is only one president for the nearly 320 million Americans, speeches are perhaps the best way for the president to engage with the general public. This paper seeks to examine the effect of televised speeches on presidential approval ratings. Analyzing the impact of major speeches on former President Ronald Reagan’s approval ratings will illustrate that overall, President Reagan’s speeches did indeed make him more popular with the public. While the data collected cannot provide a definitive or comprehensive explanation for all forty-four American presidents, it yields an interesting and often underscored point— that presidential speeches can in fact have an impact on popularity. Based on the evidence collected, Ronald Reagan may be considered a brilliant example of how a president can use speeches to influence public opinion. A notable amount of research rejects the notion that speeches can improve presidential approval ratings, but a close analysis shows that a considerable number of President Reagan’s major speeches increased his
In fact, “during the past twenty years, the relationship between the president’s approval level and his ability to influence public opinion has moved from an article of faith…to a standard research topic of political science” (Kernell 2007, 191). Because there is only one president for the nearly 320 million Americans, speeches are perhaps the best way for the president to engage with the general public. This paper seeks to examine the effect of televised speeches on presidential approval ratings. Analyzing the impact of major speeches on former President Ronald Reagan’s approval ratings will illustrate that overall, President Reagan’s speeches did indeed make him more popular with the public. While the data collected cannot provide a definitive or comprehensive explanation for all forty-four American presidents, it yields an interesting and often underscored point— that presidential speeches can in fact have an impact on popularity. Based on the evidence collected, Ronald Reagan may be considered a brilliant example of how a president can use speeches to influence public opinion. A notable amount of research rejects the notion that speeches can improve presidential approval ratings, but a close analysis shows that a considerable number of President Reagan’s major speeches increased his