Having conducted an audience analysis, a political candidate tells his audience that the unprecedented levels of unemployment in their town have been caused by "too much red tape and bureaucracy." Overall his speech is a success. Roughly seventy percent of his listeners have long believed that the issue was caused by overregulation, and receive the candidate's speech warmly, especially as he comes across as likable, and provides them with citations and statistics that appear to them to back up what he's saying. Twenty percent of his audience are aware that a different set of statistics could prove more credibly that the problem stems from automation and falling demand. The rest are undecided. What best accounts for the success of the candidate's speech?
A) Character
B) Competence
C) Common ground
D) Confirmation bias

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The success of the candidate's speech is largely due to confirmation bias, as the majority of the audience already believed that overregulation was the cause of unemployment, and the candidate's speech reinforced their existing beliefs.

Having Conducted an Audience Analysis, a Political Candidate Tells His