Voters often favor independent legislators. This indirect effect increases media coverage and constituent recognition (Profile Effects). Constituents also positively evaluate dissent when it signals matching political preferences (Conditional Evaluation). However, new evidence reveals a third mechanism: dissent serves as a direct valence signal of integrity in the UK.
The study finds British voters prefer legislators who dissent unconditionally.
Dissent acts as an independent indicator of legislator trustworthiness and integrity.
New observational data combined with experiments confirm this valence signaling effect.
This challenges parties by suggesting dissent may increase electoral support despite weakening party cohesion.
| Legislator Dissent As a Valence Signal was authored by Rosie Campbell, Philip Cowley, Nick Vivyan and Markus Wagner. It was published by Cambridge in BJPS in 2019. |
