In many democratic countries, debate is an important part of political decision making. It allows candidates to present their ideas and policies directly to voters, influencing voter perceptions of candidate quality and influence. Political debates often have a structured format, with specific rules about time limits and topics. In addition to their formal structure, debates are shaped by social context and individual factors like the personality of participants.
In the United States, debates are organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a private non-profit organization, independent of any government or political party. The Commission has final authority over the format of the debates, setting the topics and selecting the moderators. In 2018, private broadcaster Sky News called for the creation of an independent debates commission, arguing that media broadcasters and political parties should not make all decisions about the format of the debates. However, the arrangement between media broadcasters and political parties has remained in place.
For example, in France, individual media outlets are responsible for organizing debates, and they negotiate with the political parties on a proposed plan. A representative from each party (a “realisateur conseil”) is present in the control room during the debates, and he/she can request changes to camera shots for his/her candidate.
While we have a good understanding of the structure of political debate, less is known about how debate experiences and perceptions evolve over time. Future research should explore how debate perceptions and experiences ebb and flow, particularly in line with election cycles37,38.
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