Yearbook of Swiss Administrative Sciences (Dec 2017)
Convincing Voters: An experiment in the Canton of Schaffhausen
Abstract
This study analyses three different fictitious political communication designs related to two votings in the canton of Schaffhausen (Velo-Initiative and Hornkuh-Initiative). An online questionnaire addressing citizens’ evaluations on these designs and their impact on voting behavior was administered. The data was analysed using Gerber’s Big Five of Long-Term Characterization (2011). The analysis suggests that political campaigns can reduce uncertainty, but could not confirm that a strategy correlates specifically with an opinion change among swing or party voters.
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