Campaigns increasingly use broad policy appeals, aiming to attract diverse voter groups. This strategy appears effective because voters perceive broadly appealing parties as more ideologically aligned with their own views—a finding confirmed by survey data from nine Western European democracies.
The analysis shows two key mechanisms:
- Aggregate Effects: Parties gain votes overall when broadening their appeal (using data from 9 Western EU countries).
- Perception Gap: Voters mistakenly judge these parties as closer ideologically despite the message dilution, a common finding across diverse electorates.
This challenges conventional understanding of political messaging and suggests potential electoral strategies for parties in multiparty systems. This broad appeal strategy may offer insights into successful electoral tactics.
