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Unintentional Voter Mobilization: Does Participation in Preelection Surveys Increase Voter Turnout?

Yale University, Yale’s Institution for Social and Policy Studies

Survey researchers have long been concerned with the question of whether participation in preelection surveys increases voter turnout. This article presents findings from three large-scale field experiments conducted during the 2002 general election in Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. Unlike early studies, which found that participation in preelection surveys increased voter turnout, this study finds no significant effect. The author argues that the rigorous experimental methodology and large sample size in these three experiments should allay concern that survey participation affects turnout.

Key Words: preelection surveys • voter turnout • experiments

References

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The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 601, No. 1, 155-168 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0002716205278151


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Mann, C. B. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?