Individualized Text Messages about Public Services Fail to Sway Voters: Evidence from a Field Experiment on Ugandan Elections

• DOI: 10.1017/xps.2021.15
• Publication Date: 2021-07-15T07:32:34Z
• Authors: Ryan S. Jablonski; Mark T. Buntaine; Daniel L. Nielson; Paula M. Pickering
• Keywords: Mobile phone; Affect; Randomized experiment

Abstract Mobile communication technologies can provide citizens access to information that is tailored their specific circumstances. Such may therefore increase citizens’ ability vote in line with interests and hold politicians accountable. In a large-scale randomized controlled trial Uganda (n = 16,083), we investigated whether who receive private, timely, individualized text messages by mobile phone about public services community punished or rewarded incumbents local elections the information. Respondents claimed find valuable there evidence they briefly updated beliefs based on messages; however, treatment did not cause increased votes for where were better than expected nor decreased worse anticipated. The considerable knowledge gaps among identified this study indicate potential effectively share civic Yet findings imply when attribution of service outcomes difficult, even unlikely affect voting behavior.