Promoting Political Action through Community Based Social Marketing
Location
PANEL: Challenging Predictions, Patterns, and Expectations of Human Social Behavior
Wilder Hall 112
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
5-13-2022 3:00 PM
End Date
5-13-2022 4:30 PM
Abstract
Political participation is vital for a robust democracy. Voting behavior has been extensively studied and modeled. Political behaviors between elections are important too. I tested whether models of pro-environmental behavior can be applied to political behavior and studied how to increase the political behavior of calling one’s representative. I applied a Community Based Social Marketing approach. I interviewed experts with experience in activism and legislative work, who identified that calling was an effective political action. An online survey (N = 241) explored why voters do or don’t call their representatives and provided a test of pro-environmental behavior models. Participants identified the major barrier to calling one’s representative as believing it to be ineffective. The major benefits were to be part of a movement and that it is an important action. Finally, I ran a field experiment where volunteers called constituents and asked them to call their representative. The control condition received a standard script; the experimental condition received a script that emphasized the effectiveness of calling and being part of a movement. The experiment had a low response rate (N = 54) and no significant difference was found between the control and experimental conditions (X2(2) = .37, p = .83). Although no significant results are found, it may be helpful for organizations encouraging political action to stress the efficacy of the action, provide a social component, stress the importance of the action, and have more personal contact with the constituent. Results on the model aspect of this study forthcoming.
Keywords:
Politics, Psychology, Environmentalism
Recommended Citation
Boyse-Peacor, Alita, "Promoting Political Action through Community Based Social Marketing" (2022). Research Symposium. 3.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2022/presentations/3
Project Mentor(s)
Cindy Frantz, Psychology
Patty DeWinstanley, Psychology
2022
Promoting Political Action through Community Based Social Marketing
PANEL: Challenging Predictions, Patterns, and Expectations of Human Social Behavior
Wilder Hall 112
Political participation is vital for a robust democracy. Voting behavior has been extensively studied and modeled. Political behaviors between elections are important too. I tested whether models of pro-environmental behavior can be applied to political behavior and studied how to increase the political behavior of calling one’s representative. I applied a Community Based Social Marketing approach. I interviewed experts with experience in activism and legislative work, who identified that calling was an effective political action. An online survey (N = 241) explored why voters do or don’t call their representatives and provided a test of pro-environmental behavior models. Participants identified the major barrier to calling one’s representative as believing it to be ineffective. The major benefits were to be part of a movement and that it is an important action. Finally, I ran a field experiment where volunteers called constituents and asked them to call their representative. The control condition received a standard script; the experimental condition received a script that emphasized the effectiveness of calling and being part of a movement. The experiment had a low response rate (N = 54) and no significant difference was found between the control and experimental conditions (X2(2) = .37, p = .83). Although no significant results are found, it may be helpful for organizations encouraging political action to stress the efficacy of the action, provide a social component, stress the importance of the action, and have more personal contact with the constituent. Results on the model aspect of this study forthcoming.
