Graduation Term
2020
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Department of Politics and Government: Political Science
Committee Chair
Kerri Milita
Abstract
This study examines the issue of protest voting in American elections. Negative information environments have been shown to significantly shape an individual’s propensity to cast a protest vote (i.e. vote for a minor party, write-in candidate, or abstain from voting on a particular race). However, I argue that an individual's trust in government will condition the effect of a negative information environment on the likelihood that he or she will cast a protest vote. Using an online survey experiment conducted in October 2019, I test the hypothesis that individuals with low trust in government will be highly susceptible to negative information about their preferred candidate and will be more likely to protest vote in response than those with high trust in government.
Access Type
Thesis-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Stringer, Rhiannon Lu, "How Negative Information and Trust in Government Shape Protest Voting" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 1228.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/1228
DOI
http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2020.Stringer.R