‘You Should Vote because I Say So!’ Influence towards Voting within Mozambican Households

Abstract

How are the effects of voter education campaigns transmitted within the household? During the 2009 Mozambican elections, a field experiment implemented three voter education interventions: the distribution of a free newspaper, the creation of an SMS hotline to report electoral problems and a civic education campaign. Based on a relatively small sample of untreated individuals living with experimental subjects, this paper examines the diffusion of the interventions' effects within the household. The study finds evidence of spillover effects on interest in elections and turnout. But it finds no evidence of spillover effects on information about elections, nor evidence of spillover effects triggered by the delivery of the newspaper, the treatment most focused on the dissemination of information. On one hand, these findings show that voter education campaigns reach other individuals beyond the targeted subjects. On the other hand, they suggest that some voter education campaigns might boost turnout by increasing social pressure to vote rather than raising the level of information among voters. This paper highlights the need for additional research to probe unintended side effects of voter education campaigns.