Disinformation and grievance-based narratives are dominating politics today. Voters are being targeted with strategies designed to trigger their fears and anxieties, particularly with our audience of moderate women in rural, small-town, and suburban America. Our current focus includes attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, critical race theory, reproductive freedom, and book bans. Take a deep dive below on the current backlash to racial and gender equity, particularly in public schools, and check back for updates as we continue to take on the latest culture war issues.
Attacks on Trans and Nonbinary Youth
Research
- Our analysis of the 2022 midterm election, conducted in partnership with Mindbridge, found that attitudes towards people who are transgender was highly predictive of moderate white women’s vote choice.
- In the fall of 2023, we tracked a dozen digital transgender attack ads to get a snapshot of what our audience was seeing. We found that over a half million moderate white women households in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio were exposed to these ads in just one month.
- Our audience is being inundated with these messages and disinformation that taps into many of the same fears—like a lack of control over their child’s education—as other culture war issues. Many moderate women do not yet have fully formed opinions about the topic, creating a real opportunity to reshape the narrative as an inoculation strategy.
“Because so many people are changing their identities kids need to know what’s going on because it’s confusing.”
Moderate white woman
Messaging Insights
Tips to consider when messaging to this audience:
- Utilize relatable parents as messengers who emphasize that you don’t have to be perfect or get it all right to treat people with respect.
- Frame treating all children well as central to the role of being a good mom to tap into compassion and in-group care.
- Highlight personal stories of positive interactions between cis and trans children that are both gratifying and not a big deal (i.e., kids are kids!).
- Tap into values of compassion and in-group care.
Critical Race Theory
Research
- With our partners at GQR, we studied how white women are being targeted with disinformation and found that critical race theory was one of the top narratives they were seeing and finding believable. In fact, 77% of those surveyed responded to disinformation narratives on the topic as either very or somewhat believable. The messaging they are being inundated with is designed to trigger fear and it has done just that, particularly among women with sons and those residing in suburbs.
- They are concerned about a lack of control over their child’s education, fear that their kids will be made to feel guilty or be disadvantaged because of their race, and they worry that talking about racism will cause more violence.
- We then conducted audience understanding surveys to learn how our audience feels about state laws banning schools from discussing the ongoing effects of racism or discrimination in the US. Many do not yet hold strong opinions on the topic and describe being “on the fence.” These women highly value respect and honesty. Those who are more likely to oppose school bans value responsibility and equality
, making it important to speak to those values in messaging. - Many moderate white women are motivated by a desire to treat everyone equally and be “color blind”—the racial ideology that assumes the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity.
“I feel that if we keep talking about racism and discrimination that it will never truly be in the past. However, if kids are not taught about the harm of the topics then it may continue. I’m on the fence.”
Moderate, independent white woman
Messaging Insights
Tips to consider when messaging to this audience:
- Meet folks at their values; don’t try to change their beliefs or impose your values. Use words and imagery that tap into their compassion
, equality, and patriotism
. This approach honors their high in-group care
and desire to be seen as “good and right”—especially as mothers. - Resist the urge to fact battle and avoid the term “critical race theory.” Acknowledge their fears and then quickly move to a positive frame of hope for what’s possible.
The following are a few of our many messages that were effective in moving white women overall.
| MLK Jr told us to judge people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. As someone who believes that everyone is equal and deserves respect, I wouldn’t judge anybody based on color. But that doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to racism or discrimination. That means understanding the different challenges we all experience and that learning should happen for all of us. That’s why I support schools talking about race and discrimination in an honest and unbiased way. | +14pp Pulls in a nostalgic and cultural reference and centers the voter as “good and right.“ |
| Everyone is welcome at my house for Sunday dinner. It’s a tradition my grandmother started, my mom continued and I carry on to this day, for my kids and their friends. So when my son brought his trans friend over for dinner one Sunday, I was worried that I’d accidentally call them by the wrong pronoun, and we’d both feel awkward. But it was an unnecessary fear – I was open and welcoming, and we treated each other respectfully, as all folks should treat each other. That’s what ended up shining through. Sure, I was nervous about never having met a trans person before, but now that I know one, I can see they’re just like any of the kids my son brings home for Sunday dinner. | +25pp Addresses anxieties and speaks to in-group care and compassion. |
| I’m a small business owner. So many employees are totally unprepared to succeed in a diverse workforce. They are good folks, they just have no idea how to deal honestly with race and it always seems to lead to conflict. There’s a school nearby that teaches students about race in a direct, unbiased manner. No blame, no shame. Just the facts and support for mutual understanding. Those kids are some of my best employees. They treat everyone with respect and build real relationships which helps with employee retention and customer service. I wish every employee had that school program. | +12pp Speaks to a desire to be a good parent and eases anxiety that is being stirred up by external forces. |
View more here, along with messages that worked with some, but not all, groups of white women. We also have messages for other culture war issues including book bans and attacks on LGBTQ+ rights.
Take the quiz to learn more about why our ads are so effective.
Turnkey Creative
Why it works
Message is relatable, as is the messenger, appeals to in-group care and nostalgia
.
All of our memes, gifs, and ads are available to you in-kind, either with the Galvanize Action logo or white label. To access, please contact partnerships@galvanizeaction.org.