Do Voters Learn? Evidence that Voters Respond Accurately to Changes in Political Parties’ Policy Positions

Henrik Bech Seeberg; Rune Slothuus; Rune Stubager

doi:10.1080/01402382.2016.1245902

Do Voters Learn? Evidence that Voters Respond Accurately to Changes in Political Parties’ Policy Positions

Henrik Bech Seeberg, Rune Slothuus, Rune Stubager

Institut for Statskundskab

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

562 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A premise of the mass–elite linkage at the heart of representative democracy is that voters notice changes in political parties’ policy positions and update their party perceptions accordingly. However, recent studies question the ability of voters accurately to perceive changes in parties’ positions. The study advances this literature with a two-wave panel survey design that measured voters’ perception of party positions before and after a major policy shift by parties in the government coalition in Denmark 2011–2013. Two key findings extend previous work. First, voters do indeed pay attention to parties when they visibly change policy position. Second, voters update their perceptions of the party positions much more accurately than would have been expected if they merely relied on a ‘coalition heuristic’ as a rule-of-thumb. These findings imply that under some conditions voters are better able to make meaningful political choices than previous work suggests.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	West European Politics
Vol/bind	40
Nummer	2
Sider (fra-til)	336-356
Antal sider	21
ISSN	0140-2382
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2016.1245902
Status	Udgivet - 2017

Adgang til dokumentet

10.1080/01402382.2016.1245902

12-31_Post-print_Do voters learn_2017Accepteret manuskript, 397 KB

Citationsformater

@article{fb663251e0654be59ff86454f2b6a4e6,

title = "Do Voters Learn? Evidence that Voters Respond Accurately to Changes in Political Parties{\textquoteright} Policy Positions",

abstract = "A premise of the mass–elite linkage at the heart of representative democracy is that voters notice changes in political parties{\textquoteright} policy positions and update their party perceptions accordingly. However, recent studies question the ability of voters accurately to perceive changes in parties{\textquoteright} positions. The study advances this literature with a two-wave panel survey design that measured voters{\textquoteright} perception of party positions before and after a major policy shift by parties in the government coalition in Denmark 2011–2013. Two key findings extend previous work. First, voters do indeed pay attention to parties when they visibly change policy position. Second, voters update their perceptions of the party positions much more accurately than would have been expected if they merely relied on a {\textquoteleft}coalition heuristic{\textquoteright} as a rule-of-thumb. These findings imply that under some conditions voters are better able to make meaningful political choices than previous work suggests.",

author = "Seeberg, {Henrik Bech} and Rune Slothuus and Rune Stubager",

year = "2017",

doi = "10.1080/01402382.2016.1245902",

language = "English",

volume = "40",

pages = " 336--356",

journal = "West European Politics",

issn = "0140-2382",

publisher = "Routledge",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Do Voters Learn? Evidence that Voters Respond Accurately to Changes in Political Parties’ Policy Positions

AU - Seeberg, Henrik Bech

AU - Slothuus, Rune

AU - Stubager, Rune

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - A premise of the mass–elite linkage at the heart of representative democracy is that voters notice changes in political parties’ policy positions and update their party perceptions accordingly. However, recent studies question the ability of voters accurately to perceive changes in parties’ positions. The study advances this literature with a two-wave panel survey design that measured voters’ perception of party positions before and after a major policy shift by parties in the government coalition in Denmark 2011–2013. Two key findings extend previous work. First, voters do indeed pay attention to parties when they visibly change policy position. Second, voters update their perceptions of the party positions much more accurately than would have been expected if they merely relied on a ‘coalition heuristic’ as a rule-of-thumb. These findings imply that under some conditions voters are better able to make meaningful political choices than previous work suggests.

AB - A premise of the mass–elite linkage at the heart of representative democracy is that voters notice changes in political parties’ policy positions and update their party perceptions accordingly. However, recent studies question the ability of voters accurately to perceive changes in parties’ positions. The study advances this literature with a two-wave panel survey design that measured voters’ perception of party positions before and after a major policy shift by parties in the government coalition in Denmark 2011–2013. Two key findings extend previous work. First, voters do indeed pay attention to parties when they visibly change policy position. Second, voters update their perceptions of the party positions much more accurately than would have been expected if they merely relied on a ‘coalition heuristic’ as a rule-of-thumb. These findings imply that under some conditions voters are better able to make meaningful political choices than previous work suggests.

U2 - 10.1080/01402382.2016.1245902

DO - 10.1080/01402382.2016.1245902

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0140-2382

VL - 40

SP - 336

EP - 356

JO - West European Politics

JF - West European Politics

IS - 2

ER -

Do Voters Learn? Evidence that Voters Respond Accurately to Changes in Political Parties’ Policy Positions

Abstract

Adgang til dokumentet

Fingeraftryk

Citationsformater