Authentic or Scripted? Why Do Some Politicians Seem More "Real" Than Others and Why Does It Matter?

In this episode, I sit down with John Kenny, a political scientist at the University of Southampton, to explore why some politicians are perceived as authentic while others come across as fake or scripted.Drawing on research on political authenticity, John explains what makes politicians seem authentic to voters, why authenticity matters for political evaluations, and how these perceptions shape how individuals evaluate political leaders and vote.We also discuss why authenticity is often associated with populist politicians, how social media affects perceptions of authenticity, and why voters sometimes value politicians who appear blunt, unscripted, or unconventional.This episode explores how authenticity has become one of the  important qualities in modern politics, and why perceptions of being “real” can shape political success just as much as competence or policy positions.The research discussed in this episode is based on the following articles:Dieter Stiers, Jac Larner, John Kenny, Sofia Breitenstein, Florence Vallée-Dubois and Michael Lewis-Beck. 2021. "Candidate Authenticity: `To Thine Own Self Be True' " Political Behavior 43(3): 1181-1204.John Kenny and Lucas Geese. 2025. "An Authenticity Expectations Gap? A Comparison of Publics' and Members of Parliament's Views on Politicians Being True to Themselves" Polity 57(2): 350-369.