Other Toolkits
Trying to connect with ideologically-moderate white women, or your own unique audience, on the economy? Use Galvanize Action’s research and narratives to craft messages about the economy, economic stability, inflation, and the cost of living that will resonate with ideologically-moderate white women.
AUDIENCE
The economy is the most pressing issue facing our country according to open-minded, ideologically-moderate white women, many of whom are struggling to meet their family’s needs. Under these difficult conditions, Galvanize Action seeks to minimize the negative impact of economic insecurity on ideologically-moderate white women’s attitudes and behavior, and in turn to open opportunities for increased civic engagement and social cohesion. In order to do this, we need to validate, educate, and shift mindsets.
Many of the narratives included in this toolkit can be extrapolated to other audiences or used for broad programming, though this should be done with caution. We have noted areas where narratives should be restricted to certain audiences in order to avoid negative impacts.
Validate
Across the country, people are facing a growing squeeze in their daily lives. Prices for basic necessities like groceries, gas, and housing have been rising faster than many wages—forcing families to make difficult trade‑offs. Even those who are able to pay their bills worry about the economy and see the system as failing them. We need to affirm this, not ignore it so ideologically-moderate white women feel heard and recognize they are not alone.
Educate
With economic stress at near-universal levels, there is a culture of fear and uncertainty that creates an opening for authoritarianism. When people are struggling to meet their basic needs, they are less likely to engage in civic life and more open to policies that promise control and stability. This is where we need to intervene with accessible information that helps our audience understand and take action in support of working families.
Shift Mindsets
As economic inequity continues to grow, marginalized groups become scapegoats for women’s grievances, and internalized barriers related to racial resentment and out-group derogation take charge. In order to see long-term behavior change on social cohesion and civic engagement, we must address feelings of economic insecurity and shift the way ideologically-moderate white women think about economic issues.
| FROM | TO | BECAUSE |
| Scarcity | Abundance | Reinforces that others experience the same challenges, and resources can be redistributed rather than competed for. This builds belonging, resilience, and a readiness to stand alongside others instead of retreating inward. |
| Individualism & Meritocracy | Collectivism & Egalitarianism | Many women internalize economic stress as a personal failing—“I must not be working hard enough.” We want to shift the frame so that they see structural forces like corporate greed as the drivers of instability. This makes them more open to solutions rooted in fairness and collective accountability. |
| Zero-sum | Win-win | Shifting from “if they gain, I lose” mindset to win-win frames (“we all do better when everyone has the basics”) inoculates against scapegoating and grievance narratives. |
| Fatalism | Collective agency | Many women have lost trust that government or leaders will ever deliver. Fear drives passivity and creates an opening for authoritarianism. We want to help women shift into a sense of agency—that their choices, voices, and collective action matter. |
NARRATIVE PRINCIPLES
Your at-a-glance checklist for creating effective messages about the economy:
- Meet your audience where they are – It’s important to understand where people are starting from in order to know where and how to move them. Acknowledging (not legitimizing) our audience’s worldview makes them more likely to trust a message (for example, it’s hard to talk about systemic injustice with people grounded in individualism). Meeting them where they are also means addressing underlying biases—such as internalized sexism or colorblind racial resentment— to ensures a message addresses barriers to change.
- Use trusted messengers – Trust reduces resistance and increases the credibility of the message being delivered. Storytellers who are seen as values-aligned reinforce a sense of identity and belonging that help the message resonate and stick with people. Who is considered a trusted messenger depends on the audience and the issue, but they are generally seen as authentic authority figures.
- Lead with shared values – Shared values—including compassion, security, fairness, etc. — provide an opening for engagement and help lower defensiveness, especially around unfamiliar ideas. Leveraging ideologically-moderate women’s strengths around compassion and desire for a future where all families can thrive helps create openness and willingness to engage. Anchoring a message to core values and identity also helps it stick over time.
- Validate their experience – People are more open and willing to shift their beliefs if they feel safe and not defensive. By showing that we care about their real and perceived struggles, we create trust, which allows new ideas to be considered. Validating their experience doesn’t mean agreeing with or legitimizing attitudes.
- Make education accessible – It’s important to raise awareness and counter disinformation, but do it in a relatable way that doesn’t come across as pedantic or biased. Incorporate new information and data within a values framework that models open-mindedness. Avoid throwing too many different ideas at an audience at once.
- Be solution-oriented – While it’s important to define the problem and (compliantly) name bad actors, narratives should close with a positive vision for the future or call-to-action that encourages personal and collective agency to combat fatalism and create sustainable change. Focus on outcomes, and where you want to move people in both the short and long term.
- Center people’s experiences – Use personal, accessible stories where appropriate to make intangible economic concepts feel more relevant and relatable. People pay more attention to information that aligns with their identity and goals. So instead of talking about “the economy” or abstract policies, focus on the lived experience of putting food on the table for your family or getting support for elder care.
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE PRINCIPLES
- Design for the brain’s spotlight – Use visual contrast, color, movement, faces/emotion, and surprise to grab the audience’s attention. Read more: The Psychology of GIFs.
- Leverage emotional states – Emotions—including curiosity, joy, empathy, and mild doubt—lower psychological defenses and allow people to reconsider deeply-held beliefs.
- Avoid solely fear-based narratives – Fear-based narratives trigger a threat-response that does increase their stickiness and ability to be retrieved. However, they also activate defensive reactions, weaken empathy, and undermine perceived efficacy. On the other hand, positive emotions tied to identity and purpose—such as compassion, hope, and joy—are just as easy to recall and help people feel aligned with their values. If you do use fear, be sure to pair it with a solution.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat – The brain learns by rehearsal, so it’s important to reinforce our narrative across different contexts to help commit it to memory and make it feel more familiar.
- Shift social norms – Show the desired behavior or attitude in action, make it identity safe (i.e., something that “people like us” do), and make it visible.
- Build on familiar concepts – Frame new information as a natural extension of what people already believe to make it easier for them to consider new beliefs.
- Anchor beliefs – Deliberately set an anchor for how people should think about an issue early and repeat it to increase familiarity.
- Prompt reflection – Asking people to repeat or apply a message helps strengthen memory.
- Keep it simple – Human attention is limited and highly selective, so stick to one clear takeaway and catchy phrase.
NARRATIVE FRAMES
It’s Not You, It’s the System
Times are tough and your struggles aren’t your fault. Unfair rules and policies are what keep working families underwater. But there is a solution and it involves demanding fairer policies from leaders.
TIPS
- Healthcare and care economy (including child care, elder care, and paid leave) are good onramps for this narrative
- Even women who hold individualistic worldviews can still be open to framing the problem as caused by a broken system. We just have to avoid saying that everything has a structural basis, or denigrating beliefs about individual responsibility
- Focus on bad actors who are breaking the rules and benefitting at our expense, instead of calling out specific billionaires and corporations
VALUES
- Fairness – while fairness can reinforce just world view beliefs, it can also highlight how current systems and practices deviate from our audience’s ideals and are “breaking the rules”
- In-group care – tying the economy back to our audience’s lived experience makes the narrative resonate and validates their beliefs
- Security – being able to provide for their families and feel secure reduces scarcity mindset and opens our audience up to solutions
MESSENGERS
- Working-class parents
- Relatable storytellers (people who look, talk, have similar values/experience as audience)
- Avoid public officials and elites without credentials
EDUCATIONAL EXAMPLES
“You are not alone in your hardship”
Create content in which a relatable author shows readers that many people are having a hard time making ends meet through no fault of their own. User-generated content can be a great asset here; invite your audience to tell their own stories!
“Demand fairer policies for working families”
Craft a message that positions motherhood and caregiving as part of the economy, and shows real women talking about how a fair or unfair policy impacted their family life. What would your life look like if you could leave work to pick up your kids? How has SNAP changed your budget?
ACCOUNTABILITY EXAMPLE
“Support leaders who have the backs of working families, and reject anti-progress leaders who protect the wealthy and corporate power over working families”
Need more examples for your organization’s specific needs? Contact partnerships@galvanizeaction.org.
AUDIENCE
This narrative is appropriate for all audiences, although it may not resonate as well with women from higher socioeconomic statuses and men who feel less economic stress. Women of color may require greater trust to build a fixable system. If the message comes across as too “progressive-sounding,” it is also likely to backfire with more ideologically-conservative people.
We Are the Economy
Women like you keep the economy running by providing, caregiving, and contributing every day. You deserve to have a say in economic policies that impact you and your loved ones.
TIPS
- Connect economic policy to our audience’s everyday lived experience, including taking care of children, buying groceries, traveling to work, and making decisions around how to spend household finances
- Lead with personal stories but focus on collective solutions that center women to overcome perceived economic hopelessness
- Ideologically-moderate white women are disproportionately influenced by their spouses (predominantly husbands) when it comes to their views on the economy, so it is important to center women’s agency without blaming men
VALUES
- In-group care – tying the economy back to our audience’s lived experience makes the narrative resonate and validates their beliefs
MESSENGERS
- Moms and grandmothers
- Women representing a variety of professions
- Possibly male authority figures
EDUCATIONAL EXAMPLES
“Your voice and choices matter”
Create content that reminds women that they are part of the economy. Doing household finances, maintaining a family budget, and noticing grocery prices are everyday parts of the economy. You might also remind your audience that childcare is labor, whether it’s paid or not!
“Together, we can demand the support we deserve”
Consider messages like a video that shows relatable women talking about the support they need. For example, moms coming together to share what subsidized childcare would mean to them paired with daughters discussing the hard work of providing care to their aging parents. Show your audience that we all benefit from caregiving support at some point in our lives.
Need more examples for your organization’s specific needs? Contact partnerships@galvanizeaction.org.
AUDIENCE
This narrative is not recommended for use with men since they do not experience the same internalized sexism holding them back from a sense of economic agency. It could also come off as patronizing to women of color by downplaying their economic experiences, so is only recommended for ideologically-moderate white women.
Good Government at Work
The government can and does support working families like yours through programs that invest in workers. These resources are an essential part of our democracy and they need to be protected.
TIPS
- When women don’t see government addressing their needs they lose trust in democratic systems, so showing how the government has kept its promise to serve families like theirs helps strengthen trust. This does NOT mean ignoring structural challenges or corruption, but instead focusing on stability from democratic systems and safeguards
- Healthcare, care economy (including child care, elder care, and paid leave), and entitlement programs are good onramps
- Focus on one to two specific examples of economic policy/programs and connect them to our audience’s everyday lived experience, including taking care of children, buying groceries, finding rewarding work, retiring in dignity, etc.
VALUES
- In-group care – tying the economy back to our audience’s lived experience makes the narrative resonate and validates their beliefs
- Security – being able to provide for their families and feel secure reduces scarcity mindset and opens our audience up to solutions
- Patriotism – speaking to the country’s values and importance of protecting all Americans helps create a sense of unity
MESSENGERS
- Relatable recipients of federal programs
- Moms and caregivers
EDUCATIONAL EXAMPLES
“We deserve programs that help all families thrive”
Create messages that highlight government policies that truly help working families. Consider a hardworking single mom wishing for policies that help her access childcare, or a family discussing how support with groceries could help them make ends meet.
“I am grateful for [POLICY/PROGRAM] for giving me the opportunity to…”
Consider user-generated content in which women share how government programs made their life better. Did the Affordable Care Act expand your access to healthcare? Do SNAP benefits help put healthy food on your table? Real stories from relatable recipients of federal programs can help!
ACCOUNTABILITY EXAMPLES
“I support public officials who are investing in workers”
“Democrats are the ones enhancing and protecting these benefits”
Need more examples for your organization’s specific needs? Contact partnerships@galvanizeaction.org.
AUDIENCE
This narrative is appropriate for all audiences, although it may be less effective for women of color (who have more negative experiences with government programs), and men if not framed in terms of economic issues that are relevant to them.
Protecting Vulnerable Groups
The economic struggles you face are shared by others. Fairness means ensuring all families have the support they need.
TIPS
- This narrative is about building a sense of shared fate with people outside of our audience’s in-group to help them resist blaming others
- Focus on one to two specific examples of economic policy/programs and connect them to the lived experience of both our audience and out-group members who are seen as vulnerable to systemic challenges (such as immigrant communities, children, single moms, veterans, etc.)
- Focus on how public officials who protect the rights of out-group members are helping our audience
VALUES
- Compassion – women in our audience want to help groups they see as vulnerable (especially children and those experiencing homelessness), so it’s important to validate empathy
- Fairness – while fairness can be weaponized to serve just world view beliefs, it can also highlight how current systems and practices deviate from our audience’s ideals and are “breaking the rules”
MESSENGERS
- Relatable storytellers (people who look, talk, have similar values/experience as audience)
EDUCATIONAL EXAMPLES
“All families deserve support”
Share an example of a relatable messenger in a vulnerable position, like a single mom experiencing homelessness. Tap into compassion to help your audience see that all families deserve support, not just families in their in-group.
“Supporting [POLICY/PROGRAM] makes life better for everyone”
Consider writing a message that frames a common struggle as a systemic problem, not a personal failure, because this discourages blame and builds empathy. Highlight one concrete policy or program and show how it helps both your audience and more vulnerable groups, because this creates a sense of shared fate. Connect officials who protect those policies to your audience’s own well-being, because it reinforces that supporting out-groups makes life better for everyone.
ACCOUNTABILITY EXAMPLE
“I trust public officials who support [X] to make life better for everyone”
Need more examples for your organization’s specific needs? Contact partnerships@galvanizeaction.org.
AUDIENCE
This narrative was developed for Centrists and should not be used with Pragmatists, who have higher out-group threat and are less likely to empathize with solutions that don’t center their in-group. Similarly, it is not recommended for use with men unless they hold clear prosocial views on the economy. Avoid promoting a white savior mentality, especially when deploying to women of color.
You Know What’s Right
Your instincts for fairness and dignity are right—and others feel the same way. You can trust your values and gut when it comes to what’s fair for working families.
TIPS
- We want our audience to overcome their conflict aversion and feel empowered to take action for the economic wellbeing of all families
- Show how taking action in support of prosocial economic policies and for their community can have a positive impact
- Ideologically-moderate white women are disproportionately influenced by their spouses (predominantly husbands) when it comes to their views on the economy, so it is important to validate their beliefs and knowledge so they don’t defer to others
VALUES
- Compassion – women in our audience want to help others and treat everyone with respect, so it’s important to validate empathy
- Fairness – while fairness can be weaponized to serve just world view beliefs, it can also highlight how current systems and practices deviate from our audience’s ideals and are “breaking the rules”
MESSENGERS
- Moms and grandmothers
- Relatable storytellers (people who look, talk, have similar values/experience as audience)
EDUCATIONAL EXAMPLES
“I trust that [POLICY/PROGRAM] will help working families thrive”
Pick a relatable messenger, like a working mom, and then share how an easy-to-understand policy has real positive effects on working families. For example, show how Head Start programs allowed a working mom to thrive in her career, show how expanded preschool access allowed a caregiver to return to the workforce, or share how SNAP benefits made the difference between making ends meet or not. Pick messengers who have worked hard, paid into the system, and are getting the support they deserve. That’s just fair!
ACCOUNTABILITY EXAMPLE
“I support public officials who prioritize the needs of working families over tax breaks for the wealthy”
Need more examples for your organization’s specific needs? Contact partnerships@galvanizeaction.org.
AUDIENCE
This narrative was developed for Centrists and should not be used with Pragmatists, who have higher out-group threat and are less likely to empathize with solutions that don’t center their in-group. Similarly, it is not recommended for use with men unless they hold clear prosocial views on the economy. Avoid promoting a white savior mentality, especially when deploying to women of color.
Strength From Accountability
Fair rules and accountability—not strongmen—are what make working families thrive. We need leaders and corporations to play by the rules and keep their promises to the American people.
TIPS
- This narrative is designed for women who want practical solutions but have lower trust in government. We want to channel their frustration into action without activating anti-democracy beliefs
- In order to speak to women who believe in meritocracy and don’t want to demonize billionaires (because they aspire to become wealthy themselves), the narrative should avoid the idea of punishing success
VALUES
- Fairness – while fairness can be weaponized to serve just world view beliefs, it can also highlight how current systems and practices deviate from our audience’s ideals and are “breaking the rules”
- Security – being able to provide for their families and feel secure reduces scarcity mindset and opens our audience up to solutions
- Patriotism – speaking to the country’s values and importance of protecting all Americans helps create a sense of unity
MESSENGERS
- Relatable storytellers (people who look, talk, have similar values/experience as audience)
EDUCATIONAL EXAMPLE
“It’s the federal government’s responsibility to make sure working families can thrive”
Craft a message coming from a teacher or similarly trusted messenger who sees firsthand just how much working families struggle to do it all. Holding down a job, school drop offs, homework, dinner. . .share how much effort working families put in, and remind your audience that working parents should be able to get by in our country. It’s only fair that the government in our rich, thriving nation cares for working families!
ACCOUNTABILITY EXAMPLES
“We need to hold elected officials accountable to working families”
Tested message: “When people in power rig the system, it’s not just politics—it’s why our rents keep rising, wages stay low, and nothing ever changes. Corruption is the reason billionaires dodge taxes while we can’t afford healthcare. Fixing the system starts with calling out corruption and fighting for a government that actually works for us.” *
Need more examples for your organization’s specific needs? Contact partnerships@galvanizeaction.org.
AUDIENCE
This narrative is appropriate for all audiences, although it works best with Galvanize Action’s Pragmatists
Embrace / Replace
| SAY THIS… | INSTEAD OF… | BECAUSE… |
| Affordable | Cheaper | While “cheaper” focuses on a program or policy’s value, and is often conflated with lower quality, “affordable” speaks to people’s ability to thrive. Instead of activating biases associated with scarcity and consumerism, we want our economic narratives to identify structural solutions that invest in working families. This includes fair wages and support to make costs more manageable. |
| Deserved Programs we all contribute to | Earned Welfare | When talking about entitlement programs (including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.), we want to emphasize and normalize inherent human rights, without tying them to specific contributions. Internalized biases around deservingness or meritocracy stigmatize individuals who are seen as not “earning” their right through paid work. |
| Tools and resources Opportunity and tools Public investment in… | Handouts or help Government spending | When government programs are framed as “handouts,” they activate deep-seated defensiveness related to just world view beliefs. This removes agency from workers and fuels “laziness” stereotypes. Research from the Winning Jobs Narrative finds that working Americans respond better to policies when they center workers as the heroes and position policies as enabling their success and agency. |
| The current administration | The government | In order to bolster trust in democratic systems we have to disentangle government from the actions of a specific administration. This includes being clear about whose agenda is responsible for both prosocial and harmful policies. |
| Hospitals, schools, libraries, etc. The services our families rely on | Public services | Where possible, name the program, service, or institution to make it more relevant and tangible for our audience. |
| Working families Working Americans | People in need | Want to avoid “othering” and activating biases related to deservingness |
| Billionaires and greedy corporations that rig the system | Billionaires and corporations | When naming bad actors it is important to focus on how their behavior is the problem, rather than just who they are. This works to overcome our audience’s defenses related to their own financial aspirations. Greedy corporations are a safer target compared with billionaires. |
| Enough to go around We have the resources to… Growing the economy | Limited We can’t afford… “Pie” metaphor | In order to disrupt zero-sum thinking and a scarcity mindset, we want to use abundance framing and focus on how equitable economic policies help everyone. |
Additional HypothesES
These narrative recommendations are not yet tested, but align with audience research and behavioral science theory.
“Fair Wages”
Not everyone in our audience connects the high cost of living to stagnant wages. And for many, just world view and meritocracy beliefs create a preference for individual accountability over economic equity. But when framed as “fair” wages and placed in the context of making things more affordable for working families, this narrative should resonate.
“Protecting Workers”
Unions have been cited as trusted organizations by women in our audience. While the idea of collective action speaks less to an individualist worldview, our audience wants practical solutions and believes in people supporting each other. This narrative can highlight stories about unions that are pushing back against greedy corporations to ensure working families have the wages and benefits they need to thrive. We want to avoid activating our audience’s safety concerns by steering clear of specific confrontational activity (such as protests or strikes), and instead lean into values like patriotism, security, fairness, and nostalgia.
COUNTERING COMMON ATTACKS
| The Attack | Why It Works | How to Counter It |
| Blaming immigrants for economic pain | Our audience is hearing that immigrants are a drain on resources and services, and that they are taking jobs. This is rooted in feelings of scarcity, zero-sum mindset, and appeals to racial resentment. | In order to counter these narratives, we need to reinforce that others experience the same challenges, and resources can be redistributed rather than competed for. This builds belonging, resilience, and a readiness to stand alongside others instead of retreating inward. Try using It’s Not You, It’s the System |
| Government spending is wasteful and the budget should be balanced | Our audience hears that cuts need to be made in order to balance the budget, and that we have rampant, wasteful government spending. This appeals to fairness and desire for order, it is also typically intentionally complex leading to lack of understanding and trust in government. | Try making things more tangible and personal by highlighting areas spending is effective and they already support using Good Government at Work. Or positively framing as investments that benefit all of us in the future |
| Government programs are bad or ineffective | Dominant antisocial narratives include government programs being taken advantage of by people who are seen as “undeserving”, creating laziness, or perpetuating other negative stereotypes. All versions tend to be rooted in racial resentment and just world view, activating an “us vs them” mindset. | Not all audiences will be open to counter narratives in this area. Try leading with empathy using Protecting Vulnerable Groups. |
| Tax cuts and tariffs are beneficial | The case for tax cuts for the wealthy and tariffs on imports are rooted in a promise that individuals will indirectly benefit. | Try making things more tangible and personal by highlighting areas supported by taxes and they already support using Good Government at Work. Or positively framing taxes as investments that benefit all of us. You may also appeal to values of fairness. |
SPECIFIC CASE STUDIES
Economic “Bright Spots”
Historically we have reached our audience when they have a negative economic outlook. We need to be careful about policies or initiatives that don’t promote lasting change and are quick fixes or temporarily beneficial to them and people they care about (e.g. administration sending out checks). While the narratives in this toolkit were not designed for this specific circumstance, they can be adapted to fit because the underlying mechanisms are still applicable.
- Lean into promoting Good Government at Work, which offers stability independent of who holds power and improves economic stability over time, not just in the moment.
- Adapt We Are the Economy to emphasize personal agency, control, and independence over reliance and loyalty to one leader.
- Frame quick fixes as fragile rather than generous and pair this with realistic alternatives.
International Affairs
Ideologically-moderate white women typically do not tune into or prioritize international affairs. Unless there are direct impacts on their personal lives. When it comes to the United States’ interventions abroad such as in Venezuela, they tend to be neutral or unsupportive. In general, we recommend avoiding narratives specifically designed to address economic security in an international context. If necessary, the following can be adapted.
- Strength From Accountability. This narrative has strong elements of fairness and channels their frustration into action
Job Security, Wages, Cost of Living Pressures
Ongoing strain around housing, healthcare costs, utilities, and prescription drugs remains central. Housing costs are the top concern for ideologically-moderate white women. Fear of layoffs, wage stagnation, and downward mobility persists even among those that are employed, shaping perceptions of fairness and economic trust. AI’s impact on jobs and income is not fully crystallized yet, possibly creating an early opportunity to shape understanding before fear-based narratives take hold.
- This is an opportunity to pull from It’s Not You, It’s the System. Blaming negative actions of corporations and billionaires (not the corporations or billionaires themselves) is acceptable when paired with positive, solutions-oriented elements.
Budget Fights and Benefits Instability
Federal shutdowns, debt fights in Congress, cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, childcare, and disability benefits are likely to drive anxiety about basic stability. Many of our narratives can speak to this, but it needs to remain hopeful otherwise it can be demobilizing. We also need to help our audience understand who has their backs versus who doesn’t.
More Economy Research
Want to read more of Galvanize Action’s research about ideologically-moderate white women and the economy? Take a look at a few of our recent reports:
While all narratives are research informed, example content represents varying levels of confidence in how they move our audience.
* = content has been lab tested and shown statistically significant movement
**= content is based on theory and audience reaction shows directional evidence of a positive effect