Introduction
Within our movements there’s plenty of talk about ‘persuadables’ – but who are they and what motivates them?
Former prime ministerial advisors Katie Connolly (Anthony Albanese, Australia) and Ian Palmer (Jacinda Ardern, Aotearoa/New Zealand) shared insights at Progress 2026.
The Progress 2026 conference was hosted by Australian Progress on March 24-25 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Narrm/Melbourne. This article was produced by The Commons Library to enable ongoing learning.
Who are ‘Persuadables’?
“Persuadables” are, in essence, people who can be persuaded to change their vote – the classic “swinging voter”. Katie and Ian both noted that exactly who these people are can change depending on which parties are currently holding government, and what the dominant political issues are at any given time.
They were in agreement that the proportion of the electorate fitting this description varies depending on political system and culture (larger where voting is compulsory like in Australia, smaller in voluntary voting systems where campaigns have to “get out the vote”). In Australia it was estimated at roughly 20% of the electorate.
Ian and Katie agreed that research shows that on average the most open to persuasion are women, particularly those aged 35 to 55. They are people who have busy lives, many financial pressures, and generally fairly mainstream aspirations – a home, secure income, a good life for their kids. Katie said of this cohort of “persuadable voters”:
“They care, but they’re busy. They pay attention to politics when it intervenes in their lives.”
Whilst politics “intervenes” mostly during election campaigns, it could be at another time such as national or personal crises.
What is Important to Persuadable Voters?
Katie observed some patterns between 2022 and 2025, with two big themes dominating the mindset of the outer-suburban families that make up the bulk of “persuadable voters”:
- Failure of status quo institutions
For many people, there is a sense that the institutions and norms they were told they could rely on have broken their trust. Banks told them they could afford to buy a home, but now they can’t afford to pay the mortgage. Universities promised an expensive degree would guarantee a job, but that is no longer reliable. Mining and resource companies talk big about being Australian but ship all the profits overseas. Supermarkets and other big retailers price gouge and treat us like idiots who won’t notice. People see this as all one big institutional status quo that is undermining their prosperity and taking them for a ride. - Cost of Living pressures
Cost of living pressures prolonged over more than five years. Katie traced this back to Covid in Australia, but in other countries this could be traced back to the 2008 economic crisis. The people feeling this include middle class families who may look prosperous from the outside, but who are struggling to pay large mortgages and ever-increasing utility bills. The year-on-year cost of living pressures tend to make these “persuadable” voters conservative about any change, because it feels like any change will cost them even more. Even on issues they care about – such as the environment or education – cost of living concerns take precedence. One person Katie spoke to summed it up like this: – “Worrying about climate change is a privilege of people who can pay the bills.”
Katie emphasised that this person believed in climate change and believed something should be done to prevent it. But they also felt their most important priority was personal financial security.
These two tendencies are in contradiction but might exist within the same person or household. On the one hand, a person can believe the status quo institutions need to be held to account. On the other hand, that person can worry that change could upend their lives and should be avoided.
Ian generally agreed but noted that the UK is currently experiencing what happens if people’s frustrations are left unsatisfied for a long time – the mood is much more favourable to radical change, which the far right are taking advantage of.
Principles for Engaging Persuadables
Katie spoke of election campaign principles that she learned from her mentors Joel Benenson and David Axelrod of the Obama campaign:
- National elections are about big things not small things (trends not policies)
- Big elections are about the future not about the past
- Elections are about people’s lives, not about the candidates’ lives
- Put principles before policy: talk about the why (principles) before the what (policy)
Katie and Ian both emphasised the importance of talking with everyday people about values rather than getting deep into the detail of policy. Ian noted that far-right politicians constantly do this. For example, Trump’s “build the wall” was a slogan and a sentiment, not a coherent policy or plan. Katie also talked about the importance of meeting people where they are.
Sometimes you have to move people on their terms and meet them with their mindset.
The number one thing to consider is meeting people with empathy and understanding what they are struggling with. This may mean the messaging you use with them is not your preferred way of describing an issue. For example, campaigners opposed to Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan in the 2025 Australian Federal election wanted to talk about the environment and nuclear waste, and nuclear safety. But “persuadables” needed to hear about the cost and how long it would take. This different message got the result that was needed.
Campaigners need to think about what is persuadable to the people you are trying to convince, not what is persuadable to you and your organisation.
Katie warned:
Sometimes the left is a bit guilty of campaigning in a way that feels to people that they and their lifestyles are being judged…You need to enable people to see themselves in the values you’re articulating.
About the Speakers
Katie Connolly (KCB Mason)
Katie Connolly is a strategist and communications expert who has worked at the highest levels of politics in both the United States and Australia. Most recently she spent four years working as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Director of Strategic Communications.
Before returning to Australia, Katie spent a decade working as a pollster and strategist at the Benenson Strategy Group in Washington DC and New York. In that role, she advised Democratic presidential campaigns including President Obama (2012), Hillary Clinton (2016) and Pete Buttigieg (2020).
Katie spent several years as a reporter covering US politics for the BBC and for Newsweek magazine, where she was an embed on the 2008 presidential campaign. Her work helped Newsweek win a coveted New York Press Club Award and garner a National Magazine Award nomination.
She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she won the prestigious Menzies scholarship.
Ian Palmer (Supergood)
Ian is a founding director of campaigns agency Supergood. As Jacinda Ardern’s Director of Communications during her tenure as Prime Minister of New Zealand, Ian saw first hand the challenges of communicating progressive change across radically shifting political landscapes and crises, as well as the opportunities offered by new digital channels and approaches.
Supergood, formed by a group of former Ardern-team colleagues, supports good causes around the world to achieve step change. Today, it is a leading agency in persuasion and behaviour change, commissioned by campaigning organisations and progressive funders to help develop and implement strategies for change.
As well as overseeing campaigns, Supergood has developed groundbreaking IP, helping to set new standards for progressive campaigning best practice. This includes the Persuasion Genome, which is changing the way campaigns employ short form video to shift attitudes and change minds, with more exciting projects underway for 2026.
Explore Further
- Campaigning and the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion
- Persuasive Conversation Campaigns Guide
- Engaging in Elections and Building Community Power
- Elections and Activism: Campaign Skills
- Campaign Research 101
- How to Frame Issues for Social Change Impact
- How Do We Defeat the Far Right this Election?
- Fixing our Democracies and Winning Elections in the Age of Junk Politics: A Guide to Transformational Campaigning
- The Race Class Narrative: A Race Messaging Framework to Engage the Base and Persuade the Middle