New research examines how voters in Senegal respond to different types of information about incumbent politicians during the 2017 parliamentary elections. A field experiment investigated voter processing and accountability behaviors when given performance-related data versus other kinds of political information.
The findings reveal a significant difference based on information type: feedback regarding generally better-than-expected local service strongly affected voters' beliefs, leading to durable requests for greater post-election contact from incumbents. This influence was particularly notable among likely voters who prioritize tangible outcomes like local projects and infrastructure development when evaluating politicians. In contrast, providing information about general political duties did not systematically change accountability behaviors.
