Being close to an election does not make health more politically relevant: more experimental evidence during a global pandemic
Acharya, Arnab ; Gerring, John ; Reeves, Aaron
2021
6
e004296
1-3
epidemic disease ; disease control ; government policy ; election
India ; United Kingdom ; USA
Politics
"At the onset of COVID-19, experimental surveys, conducted in India, the UK and the US, showed voters are unlikely to punish or reward politicians for their success or failure in managing the pandemic.
Here we report that a follow up survey conducted only in the US three weeks before the national election showed results similar to those from the older survey.
Support for the incumbent remains the same across treatments while all respondents are more likely to blame the government for allowing the virus to spread.
Although unable to conclude that the pandemic has had no influence on electoral outcomes, our results do raise questions about whether and how political institutions might contribute toward improving health."
Digital
The ETUI is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ETUI.