Nudge Why did Partygate Make Voters so Angry?
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Oct 13, 2025 Michael Hallsworth, Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team and author of The Hypocrisy Trap, explores the intense voter backlash from Partygate. He reveals how leaders breaking their own rules feels like betrayal, damaging public trust. Discussion includes why hypocrisy is easily spotted, the dangers of over-policing it, and how it ties to social status. Michael also explains schadenfreude, showing how exposing hypocrites can feel satisfying, and emphasizes that admitting mistakes can mitigate backlash.
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Hypocrisy Breaks Political Trust
- Hypocrisy has outsized political power because it signals rule-breaking by high-status rule-makers and erodes trust.
- Michael Hallsworth argues Partygate's hypocrisy helped topple Boris Johnson by breaking enduring trust.
Daughter's Christmas Pudding Analogy
- Michael Hallsworth opens his book with a family scene where his daughter calls adults 'like the prime minister' for eating pudding after forbidding her.
- This small domestic example illustrates how intuitive and visceral hypocrisy feels to people.
We Spot Hypocrisy Fast
- People quickly label others hypocrites even from minor inconsistencies between words and actions.
- Studies show observers judge modest breaches harshly when those breaches contradict stated beliefs.
