Partisan and Racial Motivations for Campaign Giving

• In Event: Persuasion, Identities, and Campaign Donations

Abstract

Electoral campaigns are increasingly reliant on small donations from individual donors. In this work, we examine the influence of social and political identities on donation and voting behavior. Using a randomized field experiment, we identify the effects of information about the donation behavior of other voters who shared the same identity, either partisan or racial. We find that the treatment information of donors who have the same party affiliation (partisan identity) significantly promotes donation, while the information of donors who come from the same racial groups (racial identity) has only mild effect compared to the control. We find, however, significant variation by racial group. For minorities, information about the behavior of others in their racial group is as powerful or more powerful than information about co-partisan behavior. In contrast, white respondents are much more responsive to information about co-partisan behavior than information about co-ethnic donation behavior. Our results show that partisan and racial identities can have a strong effect on actual donation behaviors and provide insights into why people make political contributions.

Authors

• Karen Deborah Halperin Cyphers

• Hans J.G. Hassell, Florida State University

• Kai Ou, Florida State University