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What We Should Know about the Effectiveness of Campaigns but Don’t

CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement

Mark Hugo Lopez

CIRCLE, University of Maryland’s School of Public Affairs

It would be useful as well as interesting to understand more about why people decide to vote. The theoretical literature suggests that they weigh the costs and benefits of voting and also consider the moral obligation to participate. Relevant empirical evidence comes from surveys, comparisons of states with differing laws and electoral processes, and randomized field studies of voter mobilization efforts. The randomized experiments are by far the most rigorous sources, and they have yielded some insights about why people choose to vote or not to vote. However, much remains to be investigated, and this article provides a research agenda.

Key Words: voting • motivation • randomized field study

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 601, No. 1, 180-191 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0002716205278340


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