Who Puts Their Politics on Display?

In this chapter, we explore a variety of factors that influence an individual’s decision to display a campaign yard sign. First, we consider the displaying of signs from the perspective of traditional models of political participation. Using national data from the 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we explore demographic and attitudinal predictors of sign displaying, as well as measures of the political environment, such as residence in a swing state. Then, relying on our observational data from the 2008 and 2012 elections, we turn our attention to more localized factors that may encourage or inhibit the displaying of signs. In keeping with recent contextual work, we explore linkages between property traits, neighborhood traits, and the displaying of signs. Finally, we consider personality and whether individuals who display signs share traits such as the desire to make one’s views known and the propensity to initiate political conversations.