Framing Fear: Loss Aversion and Availability in Trump’s Immigration Rhetoric

Authors

  • Cemil Türk Kabataş High School

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/spectrum313

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the cognitive biases of the availability heuristic and loss aversion in shaping voter preferences and public support for Donald Trump’s immigration rhetoric and policies. The study, grounded in behavioral economics, examines how loss-framed narratives, such as those of economic and cultural threats posed by immigration, mobilize voter support by leveraging fears of perceived losses. Simultaneously, Trump’s reliance on emotive anecdotes amplifies the salience of isolated events, distorting public perception of immigrants as disproportionately linked to crime and economic strain. Despite empirical evidence highlighting the economic contributions and lower crime rates among immigrant populations, these biases, namely the availability heuristic and loss aversion, drive support for stringent immigration measures, including travel bans and deportations for particular immigrant groups. This paper argues for corrective measures such as embedding anecdotal narratives within public campaigns, policy-making forums, and educational curricula alongside enhancing public data literacy to mitigate these biases in political discourse and voter choices.

Author Biography

Cemil Türk, Kabataş High School

Cemil Türk is a senior at Kabataş High School in Istanbul. His work in political science, philosophy, and economics has earned national and international recognition, including becoming the first Turkish winner of the Harvard International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC), national champion in the 29th Turkish Philosophy Olympiad, and an awardee at the 33rd International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO). Cemil is the only high school student ever to speak at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit series, sharing a plenary program with leaders such as President Macron, PM Rama, and many more in Tirana. A Non-Trivial Fellow, he has presented international politics research at the Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) 2025 conference, with additional research forthcoming in Spectrum. He has conducted research under Koç, Cambridge, and Harvard faculty, led multiple academic clubs, and founded Ethos, Kabataş’s first English-language publication, alongside internships with Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Treasury and Finance.

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Published

2025-09-17

Issue

No. 15 (2025)

Section

Social Sciences & Humanities

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Cemil Türk

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