CHAPTER 11: The Influence of Information on Considered Opinions: The Example of the Choice Questionnaire

Bütschi, Danielle

doi:10.1515/9780691188386-013

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Studies have shown that the more surprising a VAA’s recommendation is, the higher the likelihood of the voter changing their vote choice is (Ladner et al 2012 ; Vassil 2011 ). This is in accordance with findings from research using Choice Questionnaires, indicating that individuals without a clear prior opinion are most reactive to new information (Bütschi 2004 , p. 317f.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundsupporting

confidence: 90%

The role of vote advice application in direct-democratic opinion formation: an experiment from Switzerland

2022

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In an increasingly digitized world, vote advice applications (VAAs) seem to be effective in providing voters with personalized information about their own positions vis-à-vis parties’ positions and specific policies. Even though electoral research has increasingly paid attention to the role VAAs play in voter’s opinion formation, very few studies have examined VAAs in the context of direct-democratic decisions. This article fills this gap by providing new insights into how VAAs affect individual decision-making in popular votes theoretically and empirically. We use novel data from the referendum campaign on the 2017 new energy law in Switzerland: a VAA experiment carried out in the framework of a three-wave panel survey. In the third wave, which took place a week before the referendum, respondents were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group; only the former was shown the VAA and made to use it. The results indicate two main takeaways. First, that using a VAA has a tangible effect inasmuch as the share of undecided voters is smaller among the treatment than among the control group. Second, VAA usage can have both a persuasive effect (i.e., it can change vote intentions) and an intensifying effect (i.e., it can strengthen voters’ preexisting intentions).

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Section: Theoretical Backgroundsupporting

confidence: 90%

The role of vote advice application in direct-democratic opinion formation: an experiment from Switzerland

2022

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“…Previous studies provided (experimental) evidence that the preferences of the ICQ respondents are affected by the information provided. Results showed that the instrument gathers measures of opinions that are of higher quality (i.e., more consistent with respondent's judgments of the various consequences mentioned in the information) than those recorded in typical mass opinion surveys (Neijens, De Ridder, and Saris 1992;Van der Salm, Van Knippenberg, and Daamen 1997;Bütschi 2004).…”

Section: The Information and Choice Questionnairementioning

confidence: 87%

Helping Citizens Decide in Referendums: The Moderating Effect of Political Sophistication on the Use of the Information and Choice Questionnaire as a Decision Aid

Neijens

Vreese²

2009

Public Opinion Quarterly

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Voters often lack sufficient knowledge to make educated decisions. We investigated how a decision aid--the Information and Choice Questionnaire (ICQ)-helped them make more consistent decisions. The ICQ is designed for large-scale use and provides voters with information about a specific problem before asking them for their opinions. It provides citizens with information summarizing a full range of viable policy options and the probable consequences of each, as provided by experts. We investigated the ICQ in the context of the Dutch 2005 referendum on the European Constitutional Treaty. Respondents (N = 340) constituted a random sample of the Dutch population. We studied the effects of the ICQ on vote preferences and the consistency of voters' preferences shortly before the referendum. We were especially interested in the moderating role of political sophistication on the uses and effects of the ICQ. Our study confirmed that many voters had little knowledge about the European Constitution and had inconsistent preferences. The ICQ made their vote preferences more consistent, especially for those participants with lower levels of political sophistication. This suggests that this decision aid can narrow the gap between the politically sophisticated and the politically less sophisticated. PETER NEIJENS AND CLAES DE VREESE are with the

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CHAPTER 11: The Influence of Information on Considered Opinions: The Example of the Choice Questionnaire

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

The role of vote advice application in direct-democratic opinion formation: an experiment from Switzerland

The role of vote advice application in direct-democratic opinion formation: an experiment from Switzerland

Helping Citizens Decide in Referendums: The Moderating Effect of Political Sophistication on the Use of the Information and Choice Questionnaire as a Decision Aid

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