Campaigning personalization is often thought necessary for voter mobilization, but this gap between theory and practice may not always hold. This study examines a 2017 field experiment conducted with the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom.
Key Findings:
* Postal party leaflets boosted turnout by 4.3 percentage points, while canvass visits added just 0.6 percentage points.
* Leaflet effectiveness slightly outweighed personal contact, contradicting expectations that direct interaction is essential for GOTV success.
Real-World Relevance:
This work addresses calls for more European-based GOTV experiments by demonstrating the surprising influence of impersonal communication in the UK context. Furthermore, it stands as a unique field experiment comparing GOTV tactics at the individual level outside the United States.
The study design carefully compares these methods.
| Is It Worth Door-Knocking? Evidence from a UK-based GOTV Field Experiment on the Effect of Party Leaflets and Canvass Visits on Voter Turnout was authored by Joshua Townsley. It was published by Cambridge in PSR&M in 2018. |
