Researchers at Princeton University have conducted a study looking into the psychological tricks and dark patterns used by US political candidates. The aim of the study was to understand how these tactics were used in emails and whether they were successful in getting voters to sign up for rallies, donate or vote. The study analysed over 100,000 emails sent from December 2019 to June 2020. A preliminary analysis has been published however, the full report will be published after the election in November.
Some of the findings include the use of sensationalism like clickbait email headlines and creating a sense of urgency. See more of the results here.
