Why Do Voters Prefer Local Candidates?

• In Event: Public Opinion Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

The electoral advantage of local political candidates is well documented across countries and time. However, studies have yet to explain why voters prefer local candidates. Originally, friends-and-neighbors voting was lamented as a sign of "immature politics". Local candidates prevailed because of strong of place-based social identities and in-group favoritism. However, recent studies suggest voters prefer local candidates out of self-interest, as they assume that local candidates are more likely to act in the interests of themselves and others in their locality. In a time of increased geographical polarization, disentangling why voters favor local candidates, speak to broader questions of citizen competence.

In this study, I conduct a pre-registered conjoint experiment in Denmark. This allow me to test how different aspect of political candidates’ local attachment affects voters’ preferences. I find that voters favor candidates from their local area, who spends most of their time in office improving local conditions, and which act in accordance with local mores. While there are some diminishing returns for candidates by signaling their local attachment in multiple different ways, doing so is not only effective towards voters with a strong attachment to their local area, but to all voters.

Author

• Niels Nyholt, Aarhus University