Politicians' Emails Fail to Change Citizens' Policy Priorities in Local Field Experiment

Do elected officials shape citizen priorities? A field experiment tested email advocacy by local officials. Officials sent emails advocating for specific issues or using placebo messages. Constituents surveyed before and after the intervention revealed limited influence on policy preferences. Those receiving priority emails showed no increased petition action.

Keywords & Methods

• Field Experiment • Email Advocacy • Local Elected Officials • Placebo Control Group • Citizens' Priorities • Policy Support Survey • Petition Action

Findings

• No significant shift in citizen priorities following email advocacy campaigns by officials.
• Lack of increased petition signing among recipients exposed to priority-indicating messages.

Implications

This suggests politicians struggle to change the policy preferences even of their most engaged constituents. The results question common assumptions about direct communication effectively shaping political agendas.