Electoral Mobilization and Voters' Behaviors

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25780103
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: Kochi University (2015); Waseda University (2013-2014)
• Principal Investigator: Endo Masahisa 高知大学, 教育研究部人文社会科学系人文社会科学部門, 講師 (80597815)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 動員 / 交差圧力 / 社会圧力 / 経済投票

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Despite the significance of electoral mobilization in Japanese elections, how and why mobilization shapes voters’ behavior has not been fully investigated. In this study, we attempted to unpack such a black box by utilizing election surveys in 2009. Exploring the effects of mobilization not only on voting decision but also on perceptions of party conflicts, voter turnout, and survey response behavior, we examined the role of electoral mobilizations in contemporary Japanese politics. This study found that even though electoral mobilization made voters feel social pressures to vote for the candidate or party, they in fact autonomously decided their votes in voting booths. This result implies that the influence of electoral mobilization in Japanese elections are overrated.

Free Research Field

政治学