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Direct and indirect effects of prejudice: sexism, information, and voting behavior in political campaigns

Ditonto, Tessa

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Abstract

This paper examines the effects of gender-based prejudice on candidate evaluation and voting behavior. It uses a unique experimental design to test for direct effects of sexism on candidate evaluation and voting behavior, as well as indirect effects of sexism on these variables via the information that subjects seek out about women candidates. I find that subjects with higher scores on items measuring modern sexism are less likely to vote for female candidates, less likely to vote “correctly” when their preferences most closely align with a female candidate, and rate female candidates more negatively than their male counterparts. I also find that subjects high in sexism search for less information about women candidates and that less information search also leads to lower feeling thermometer ratings, a lower likelihood of voting for women candidates, and a lower likelihood of casting a “correct” vote for a woman. In sum, sexism has both direct and indirect effects on subjects’ voting behavior.

Citation

Ditonto, T. (2019). Direct and indirect effects of prejudice: sexism, information, and voting behavior in political campaigns. Politics, Groups and Identities, 7(3), 590-609. https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2019.1632065

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 7, 2017
Online Publication Date Jul 9, 2019
Publication Date 2019-07
Deposit Date Dec 5, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Politics, Groups and Identities
Print ISSN 2156-5503
Electronic ISSN 2156-5511
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 7
Issue 3
Pages 590-609
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2019.1632065

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