If I started this column with a paragraph about undocumented asylum-seekers you might guess I’m a liberal. If I started with some comments about illegal immigrants, you would likely assume I was a conservative.
The words we use send signals about our group identities and values. Listeners are subconsciously cataloging those cues. If you speak to their partisan identity they are more likely to trust you. However, you are also more likely to lose the rest of the people in the room.
In these hyperpolarized times, people are looking for these partisan cues everywhere, including where they do business. If you signal politics that align with your customer base, you can stand to make a profit. But, you also run the risk of alienating half or more of your followers. Consider two cases: Nike’s sponsorship of Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem and Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender social media personality. One month post-endorsement Nike’s stock was up. For Bud Light, one month later the stock tumbled.
I have dedicated my career to civic engagement, so I have some insight on how to talk across the aisle. I’m frequently asked how I can stay nonpartisan in my work. First, I answer that it’s impossible to be completely unbiased. It’s more important to recognize your own bias and ensure you are working with people who will help point out blind spots. That includes welcoming feedback from the public and actively seeking alternative points of view. (If you want to take a deep dive on bias and alternate viewpoints, I highly recommend Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Righteous Mind.)
Second, I talk about the importance of language. I know from experience that if I use certain words or phrases in NH, I will instantly fall in the liberal or conservative bucket. At that point it won’t matter what comes out of my mouth, it will only matter if the person listening to me thinks we belong to the same party or not. For example, if I talk about the Education Freedom Account program and use the word “voucher,” I will probably be stereotyped as a Democrat while using the term school choice would align me with Republicans.
Back in 2018 you could accurately guess if a Granite Stater was a Democrat or Republican by asking if the proposed statewide family and medical leave program relied on a “payroll tax” or an “income tax.” There are many more examples of “cue” phrases you probably associate with the Republican Party (election security, free market, preborn child, 2nd Amendment rights) or the Democratic Party (voting rights, wealth taxes, reproductive rights, gun control).
In 2019, PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) launched a study of how people react to different words based on their political beliefs, age, and urban/rural ties. Their Civic Language Perceptions Project (pacefunders.org/language) identifies words that appeal to one party over another. For example, conservatives respond positively to the words American, patriotism, and republic. Liberals respond to the words advocacy, equality, and racial equity. If you’re trying to cater to a specific political audience, lean into those terms—but be ready for the other half of your audience to walk away.
If you’re surprised by the idea that words such as “American” or “equality” might turn off your listener, I invite you to consider how those words have been used by political pundits and extremists on social media, which has a real knack for amplifying the worst of humanity. The point is not the literal definition of these words; the point is that they now signal identities beyond their original definitions.
At this point you might be exhausted, feeling like you must worry about stepping in a political pothole anytime you open your mouth. I have good news: the Civic Language Perceptions Project also identifies words most likely to bridge the partisan divide and appeal to both conservative and liberal voters. Their top five words: community, service, belonging, liberty, and freedom.
Ipsos did a less sophisticated survey in 2024 and found somewhat similar results (axios.com/2024/04/28/election-year-words-poll). The words freedom, honesty, and responsibility were unifying for roughly nine out of 10 poll respondents, regardless of political party.
If you’re trying to appeal to listeners on both sides of the political aisle, consider incorporating these words into your messaging. Our country may be divided by politics, but the universally positive reactions to these words prove there are underlying values holding our communities together. Tap into those and you might boost your bottom line and help strengthen the social bonds that keep us together.
Anna Brown is executive director of Citizens Count (CitizensCount.org), which provides information about the policy issues shaping NH. She also serves as director of the Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Service at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law.
