The persuasive audience: characteristics and implication

The characteristics of the audience receiving a persuasive message are a determining factor in its effectiveness.

Aspects such as age, intelligence, self-esteem, mood, and, crucially, the degree of personal involvement with the topic, can modulate the way in which information is processed and attitude change occurs.

Demographic and Personality Characteristics

• Age: It has been suggested that young adults (approximately 18 to 25 years old) may be more susceptible to attitude change, as their attitudes tend to be less stable and crystallized than those of older adults.

• Intelligence: People with lower intelligence may be easier to persuade, but only if the message is simple and easy to understand. People with higher intelligence may be harder to persuade if the arguments are weak, but more likely to be convinced by logical, well-supported arguments.

• Self-Esteem: People with moderate self-esteem may be easier to persuade than those with very high self-esteem (who are confident in their own opinions) or very low self-esteem (who may be too anxious or withdrawn to process the message).

• Mood: A positive mood can make people more susceptible to persuasion, especially via the peripheral route, as they may be less motivated for critical analysis. A negative mood can lead to more detailed processing.

Personal Involvement with the Topic (Personal Relevance)

The degree of personal involvement or relevance that the topic of the message has for the audience is one of the most important factors.

When involvement is high (the topic is important, directly affects the person, or aligns with their values), the audience is more motivated to process the message carefully through the central route.

In this case, the quality of the arguments becomes the pr