E-lections: Voting Behavior and the Internet

Oliver Falck, Robert Gold and Stephan Heblich

Bristol Economics Discussion Papers from School of Economics, University of Bristol, UK

Abstract: This paper analyses the effects on voting behavior of information disseminated over the Internet. We address endogeneity in Internet availability by exploiting regional and technological peculiarities of the preexisting voice telephony network that hindered the roll-out of fixed-line infrastructure for high-speed Internet. We find negative effects of Internet availability on voter turnout, which we relate to a crowding-out of TV consumption and increased entertainment consumption. We find no evidence that the Internet systematically benefits specific parties, suggesting ideological self-segregation in online information consumption. Robustness tests, including placebo estimations from the pre-Internet period, support a causal interpretation of our results.

Keywords: Elections; Mass Media; Internet. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 L82 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 68 pages
Date: 2014-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-ict, nep-net, nep-pol and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (240)

Published in American Economic Review.

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Related works:
Journal Article: E-lections: Voting Behavior and the Internet (2014)
Working Paper: E-Lections: Voting Behavior and the Internet (2012)
Working Paper: E-Lections: Voting Behavior and the Internet (2012)
Working Paper: E-Lections: Voting Behavior and the Internet (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bri:uobdis:14/642

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