Partisan Bias vs Idealistic Ideals: Why Constitutional Voters Choose What Matters Most

The impact of constitutional referendums in Japan often depends on who proposes them rather than what they propose, according to a new survey experiment. This research explores voter preferences across diverse constitutional issues.

Japan Referendum Experiment (N=1000)

• A novel design exposing citizens to 12 distinct constitutional amendment scenarios
• Comparing ballot proposals by partisan vs non-partisan sources

Key Findings:

• Voter support increases with non-partisan proposal framing
• Ideological leanings matter: preference for expansive government correlates with idealistic constitutional views

The Political Significance:

These results highlight how citizens' underlying constitutional beliefs shape their responsiveness to both proposers and proposals in fundamental governance decisions.