Running as a Working Mom: Field Experimental Evidence from Germany

• In Event: New Approaches to the Study of European Elections

Abstract

The GOTV literature suggests that the social and political identities of canvassers can impact the efficacy of campaign interventions. Inconclusive evidence exists as to whether the identity of the persuader influences the effectiveness of political persuasion. We expect that voters will favour candidates who share their in-group identities and that campaign interactions will allow voters to express these identities. Candidates can emphasise or promote shared or aligned identities during talks with voters or in their campaign letters. We thus expect that campaign contact that introduces voters to candidates in person or via campaign letter is more successful with voters who share the same descriptive and social identities as the candidate. In addition, we hypothesise that interventions that emphasise these identities will be more successful than those that do not.
In a field experiment, we examine the concept of identity alignment by collaborating with a Berlin, Germany, state representative seeking re-election in the February 2023 repeat state election. During our sessions, the candidate self-identified as a "working mother," and she claimed that this was one of her key social identities. According to empirical studies, parenthood has significant political ramifications. Political behaviour is frequently connected with parenthood. Parents are more likely to participate in community events, sign petitions, and cast ballots.
We randomly allocate whether voters are contacted at the door by the candidate or with a campaign letter, or if they are not contacted (neither by letter nor on the doorstep). We also randomly change whether letters and canvassing discussions highlight the candidate's identity as a working mother and a local or if this information is omitted from the postcard. The experiment is part of a three-wave election panel research study in which participants are recruited through the distribution of postcards by enumerators. We expect that both personal and impersonal interaction with the candidate favourably influences name recognition, candidate favourability, candidate feelings, and vote choice. Furthermore, these interactions should be more successful with voters who share the candidate's primary social identity, including both male and female parents. We anticipate that shared parental identification have a much greater impact with female voters.

Authors

• Asli Ceren Cinar

• Florian Foos, London School of Economics and Political Science

• Frederik Ferié, University of Münster