Work

The Impact of Personalized Information on Vote Intention: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

Year: 2019

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: Voting advice applications (VAAs) are voter information tools that millions of individuals have used in recent elections throughout the world. However, little is known about how they affect political behavior. Until now, observational studies of VAA have produced inconclusive results. Here we present the results from a randomized field experiment in Switzerland that estimates the causal effects of VAA use on voters’ vote intentions. Our results suggest that usage of the Swiss VAA smartvote strengthened the vote intention for the most preferred party and also increased the number of parties considered as potential vote options. These results imply that VAAs can influence voting behavior and that they can play an important role in electoral politics.

Source: The Journal of Politics

DOI: 10.1086/702946

Authors: Joëlle Pianzola, Alexander H. Trechsel, Kristjan Vassil, Guido Schwerdt, R. Michael Alvarez

Institutions: ETH Zurich, University of Lucerne, University of Tartu, University of Konstanz, California Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Electoral Systems and Political Participation

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: University of Bern, European Commission, European University Institute, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Université de Lausanne, Universität Zürich, Universität Konstanz, Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation

OpenAlex ID: W2941965535

FWCI: 15.59

Cites: 53

Cited by: 43

Related to: 10