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Cross-National Social Influence: How Foreign Votes Can Affect Domestic Public Opinion
[journal article]
Abstract Do voters follow the preferences of foreign mass collectives? Despite the growing research on policy diffusion and theoretical debates on the emergence of transnational public spheres, we know little about the impact of foreign votes on domestic public opinion. Yet, the results of elections and refe... view more
Do voters follow the preferences of foreign mass collectives? Despite the growing research on policy diffusion and theoretical debates on the emergence of transnational public spheres, we know little about the impact of foreign votes on domestic public opinion. Yet, the results of elections and referendums may provide a signal to people in other countries and trigger a process of contagion. This study leverages the coincidence of the 2005 French referendum on the European Constitution and the fieldwork of two surveys to analyze the causal effect of cross-national social influence. Results show that the French rejection increased public opposition to the Constitution abroad. A process of cognitive activation explains why knowledgeable voters also grew Eurosceptic after the vote. These findings attest to the interdependence of national publics and contribute to our understanding of mechanisms of social contagion.... view less
Keywords
Eurobarometer; public opinion; opinion formation; referendum; influence; alien
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
social influence; contagion; Eurobarometer 63.4 (May-Jun 2005) (ZA4411)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 2416-2446
Journal
Comparative political studies, 55 (2022) 14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140221088846
ISSN
1552-3829
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed