Knowing What You Don't Know: The Role of Information and Sophistication in Ballot Completion.
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| Title: | Knowing What You Don't Know: The Role of Information and Sophistication in Ballot Completion. |
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| Authors: | Lamb, Matt, Perry, Steven |
| Source: | Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell). May2020, Vol. 101 Issue 3, p1132-1149. 18p. 3 Charts, 5 Graphs. |
| Subjects: | Voter attitudes, Voting, United States elections, Political knowledge, Social change |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | Objective: We seek to examine how individual factors such as information and political sophistication can affect the likelihood of a voter completing his or her ballot. Methods: Through the use of an original experiment, we examine the individual‐level effects of information and political sophistication on ballot completion. Results: We find that having less information about the candidates on a ballot results in lower levels of ballot completion. On average, voters complete 19 percent less of their ballot when they possess low levels of information about the candidates involved. Moreover, there are significant differences in how political sophisticates and nonsophisticates respond to deficiencies in candidate information. Conclusion: Even though voters are likely to be hesitant to make a decision for a ballot contest when they are lacking in information, political sophisticates are more comfortable making a voting choice than nonsophisticates, even when they are operating under the exact same information constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Objective: We seek to examine how individual factors such as information and political sophistication can affect the likelihood of a voter completing his or her ballot. Methods: Through the use of an original experiment, we examine the individual‐level effects of information and political sophistication on ballot completion. Results: We find that having less information about the candidates on a ballot results in lower levels of ballot completion. On average, voters complete 19 percent less of their ballot when they possess low levels of information about the candidates involved. Moreover, there are significant differences in how political sophisticates and nonsophisticates respond to deficiencies in candidate information. Conclusion: Even though voters are likely to be hesitant to make a decision for a ballot contest when they are lacking in information, political sophisticates are more comfortable making a voting choice than nonsophisticates, even when they are operating under the exact same information constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00384941 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/ssqu.12788 |
