Sammendrag
Abstract
This paper reports on a randomized field experiment testing four different direct mail mobilization appeals among naturalized citizens in the 2017 Norwegian Parliamentary Elections. It replicates a set of field experiments done in the 2015 local elections in a more salient context and with a more motivated public. All four letters include a general encouragement to vote and practical information about voting. Three of the letters include an extra paragraph presenting different mobilization messages. They were: 1) a message guaranteeing ballot secrecy. 2) a message with consistent prescriptive and descriptive norms emphasizing the importance of immigrant participation and that participation has been increasing. 3) a message with inconsistent prescriptive and descriptive norms emphasizing the importance of immigrant participation but noting immigrant participation has been low. The fourth letter (the placebo letter) included only the general encouragement and practical information about voting.
As in the 2015 experiments, all letters increased turnout both among citizens who were eligible for the first time to vote and among previously eligible naturalized citizens. The strongest effects is among new citizens eligible to vote for the first time where the norm consistent letter show an treatment effect of 3.78% points, while the guarantee of privacy message show an treatment effect of 3.38% points. Among previously eligible immigrant voters, there is an average treatment effect of 2.3% points from a baseline of 55.2% turnout. We also find a small spillover effect of 1.6% points increase in turnout within two-person households.
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