To Shame or Not to Shame: An Experiment to Increase Voter Turnout

• In Event: Social and Environmental Influences on Behavior

Abstract

Shame is associated with feelings of embarrassment, humiliation, and self-judgment, which can lead individuals to engage, hide or avoid certain behaviors. In the context of voter turnout, it's possible that individuals who experience some levels of shame may be more or less likely to vote. Shame may lead to a sense of inadequacy or unworthiness, which can discourage political participation or to the contrary, shame may activate a sense of civic duty and promote political participation. The impact of shame on voter turnout is likely influenced by various factors, including place, race, cultural, social, and individual differences. In this paper we explore the impact of activating shame on voter turnout during the 2022 elections via a text messaging/emoji experiment among a plethora of registered voters and their validated turnout in Colin County, TX. Overall, the impact of text messaging/emoji is mixed and mediated by different contexts (i.e., place of residence) and individual characteristics such as race and ethnicity.

Authors

• Jeronimo Cortina, University of Houston

• Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Houston