Election Fever or Sick of Elections? Effect of Elections on Political Interest

• In Event: Do Electoral Systems Ask Too Much of Voters?

Abstract

Using millions of observations from survey data, we document an ‘election fever’ effect: respondents surveyed after elections are 12% more interested in politics than those surveyed before. However, this surge diminishes after 10 days, returning to pre-election levels. Political interest is higher in elections where the first round is decisive, when an incumbent loses and when economic policy is more uncertain. Following elections, citizens consume news and discuss politics more frequently. Evidence supports a model of uncertainty where citizens are interested in and ac- quire information post-election. This finding is important as political in- terest drives political action.

Author

• Laurence Anthony Go, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona