Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of celebrities in shaping public opinions regarding political issues. To do this, the researcher conducted a survey in two sections of introductory political science classes (POLS 130). The surveys contained 10 politically charged statements made by American celebrities. Through a random distribution, half of the respondents were given versions of the survey where each of the celebrities' names were listed by their political statement while the other half was presented with surveys where the celebrities' names were left off. Responses to these surveys were analyzed to determine if there was an increase in the amount of respondents who agreed or disagreed with the celebrities' statements when compared to the surveys that were distributed to the students in the control group.