19 Working Papers Representing the 19 Sub-Constructs of the Davis Model of Authenticity
Completed 16th May 2025 by Dr. Robert Davis
Disclaimer: The findings expressed about Donald Trump in this research are expressed through the analysis of a dataset collected from USA voters. They are the views expressed by these voters as Donald Trump voters. These findings do not represent my personal views or the views of my employer or any organization with which I am affiliated. My statements are made in my research capacity, using my own time and resources. Titles and affiliations are provided for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement for or by any organization. The political participation of the author of this research is in the New Zealand Electoral Voting system only. I am not a supporter of any party or leader in the USA Electoral System.
The aim of this work in progress is to provide some initial evidence to determine voter perceptions of the authenticity of Donald Trump at the 2016 USA Presidential Election. The leadership brand Trump (DJT). Please see the working papers below. These working papers represent the important first stage of exploration that will hopefully lead collaboratively to further modelling. Frequency modelling helps to identify what I call are the hot and cold spots. Hot meaning probably significant and a pathway for further exploration.
My approach posits a model that argues authenticity is an multi-dimensional experience. It is a cognitive event of a voter (or consumer) who consumes the experience of presidential leadership. Hence, authenticity can be manipulated in different contexts (e.g., digital environments). Authenticity, while believes in what is real and original; this is entirely real but also subjective. Subjectivity based upon the context of the voter as a hermeneutic interpretive state. Most research on authenticity ties the conceptual to a real reference point (e.g., Champagne Wine to the French region of Champagne).
My model argues that authenticity is wider in definition. While authenticity references what is ‘real’, that reality can be bent and manipulated.
Why 2016 Data? Isn’t it out of date? No. The use of historical data is wide-spread in many aspects of science. I like this data set because its what I call unbiased. This is because the data in 2016 represents the first time USA voters experienced the consumption of the Trump political campaign, voting and finally, leadership as President. The data was also collected a few months after the election. So, voters had some time to consume. To bathe! If I had collected the data now, it is my view that a lot of bias would have creeped into the data to muddy the conceptual integrity of the authenticity model and its sub-constructs. Voters when answering the questions were largely focus on Trump, the perceptions of his leadership and at that time, it could be argued that, their perception of authenticity was as pure as one could get. Now there is so much noise in the USA and globally surrounding the perceptions of Donald Trump.
These series of papers will cover different aspects of the results in a phased output process. It is hypothesized that when consumers engage in the consumption behavior of the political brand (e.g., Trump), authenticity is a multidimensional experience conceptualized and defined as: iconic, identification, practical/impersonal, production/situation, social, moral, pure approximate and virtuous-self, forms of the authentic experience.
The data collection was funded by Massey University (New Zealand) and was approved by the Massey University Ethics Committee (Ethics Approval NO. 4000018813). The data collection and initial study was academic and non-commercial in nature. The data collection collaborated with Dr Suze Wilson.
This model and questionnaire is based on the conceptual and measurement model of authenticity published by Robert Davis, Kevin Sheriff, Kim Owen, Conceptualizing and Measuring Consumer Authenticity Online, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Volume 47, 2019, Pages 17-31, ISSN 0969-6989, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.10.002 . Download here: https://drrobertdavis.com/research/download-papers/. This published model has gone through rigorous analyses using CFA/SEM as well as extensive measure of validity and common method bias.
To test this published hypothesized model, 600 usable responses were collected using a questionnaire with randomly randomized questions for each respondent, deployed through Qualtrics to their USA consumer panel who were voters in the 2016 USA Presidential Election. In the sample used for this analysis related to Donald Trump, 238 usable responses were used representing voters who indicated that “I VOTED FOR THE FOLLOWING Presidential Candidate in the 2016 USA Presidential Election”, that is, Donald Trump.
The macro dataset included the collection of data on both Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. This dataset is unpublished and is available for further academic publication and/or commercial application. The model, research method and data are Copyright the intellectual property of Dr. Robert Davis. If the results in this paper are to be quoted and/or published in any ways then they must; (1) contact Dr Robert Davis for written approval to publish and (2) effectively cite Dr, Robert Davis at drrobertdavis.com in the publication.
Working Papers:
1. WORKING PAPER 1: SAMPLE CHARATERISTICS (TRUMP VOTERS)
IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
2. WORKING PAPER 2: FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE (Practical Self/ Interpersonal Self-Authentication). IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
3. WORKING PAPER 3: INDEPENDENT JUDGEMENT (Practical Self/ Interpersonal Self-Authentication). IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
4. WORKING PAPER 4: VERIFICATION (Practical Self/ Interpersonal Self-Authentication). IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
5. WORKING PAPER 5: INSTRUMENTALITY (Practical Self/ Interpersonal Self-Authentication). IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
6. WORKING PAPER 6: UBIQUITY (Practical Self/ Interpersonal Self-Authentication). IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
7. WORKING PAPER 7: COMMUNAL NORMS (Practical Self/ Interpersonal Self-Authentication). IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
8. WORKING PAPER 8: BRAND PROXIMITY (Practical Self/ Interpersonal Self-Authentication). IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
9. WORKING PAPER 9: EVERYDAY PEOPLE (IDENTIFICATION: IDENTIFYING ELEMENTS OF AUTHENTICITY IN FANTASY). CONSUMERS CONNECT/IDENTIFY WITH EVERYDAY PEOPLE. IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10. WORKING PAPER 10: SCRIPTED NARRATIVE – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
11. WORKING PAPER 11: SITUATION FANTASY – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
12, WORKING PAPER 12: OBJECTIVE AUTHENTCITY – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
13. WORKING PAPER 13: CONSTRUCTIVE AUTHENTICTY – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
14. WORKING PAPER 14: CONSUMER VALUES – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
15. WORKING PAPER 15: BRAND VALUES – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
16. WORKING PAPER 16: COMMITTMENT TO TRADITION – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
17. WORKING PAPER 17: PLACE OF ORIGIN – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
18. WORKING PAPER 18: UNIVERSAL NORMS – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
19. WORKING PAPER 19: PURITY OF MOTIVE – IS DONALD TRUMP AUTHENTIC? 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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