Campaign Mobilization in the Social Media Era: To what extent are Digital Tools changing the quality and quantity of Party Contacting in Elections?

这项研究合作的中心目标是加深我们对竞选接触的质量、数量和效果如何因政党、候选人及其支持者使用社交媒体而发生变化的理解。具体地说，我们提出的论点是，在线工具不仅增加了选民在选举中收到的鼓励他们投票的联系的数量，而且增加了其动员作用。我们基于数字媒体的病毒式属性及其日益增长的社交网络基础做出这一声明，这使得联系更快、更广泛，更有可能通过朋友和家人进行调解。我们使用尖端方法和来自美国和英国的一系列现有和新的选举调查数据来调查这些命题，这些数据衡量了这些国家在最近一次全国选举中不同形式的选民接触的发生率。考虑到选民投票率的下降以及对西方民主政体，特别是美国和英国政党和政客的依恋，这项工作具有非常重要的意义。基于我们的发现，我们将能够为学者和从业者提供新的系统见解，了解传统与新的在线选民联系形式的范围和有效性，以及什么最有效地刺激政治参与。这项研究的比较因素是有用的，因为它将使我们能够审查选举和政党制度的背景，特别是性质是否影响这些接触的速度和影响。除了它的实质性意义之外，该项目对于扩大国际和平协会目前由ESRC资助的在线竞选活动和参与的比较研究也很重要。特别是，它将来自美国的美国全国选举研究数据分析方面的额外方法技能和专业知识带到该项目中，使PI和国际CI能够合作撰写一份尖端论文，用于出版和后续拨款申请。这项工作的实际影响值得注意，因为它将首次系统地比较深入了解政党和候选人在选举期间进行的线上和线下联系的有效性，并表明通过非正式社会网络进行二次联系的范围和价值。这将有利于那些从事竞选活动以及其他类型的公共宣传和沟通工作的人。最后，鉴于美国传播与信息中心与曼彻斯特大学社会变革研究所(ISC)和民主公民与选举研究网络(DCERN)的学者和学生的研究议程有很大的重叠，这种合作预计将在提供建议、反馈以及与传播与信息组织与北卡罗来纳州美国政治联合研究中心(DUNC)建立联系方面产生广泛的好处。

The central objective of this research collaboration is to further our understanding of how the quality, quantity and effects of campaign contacting are changing as a result of the use of social media by parties, candidates and their supporters. Specifically, we advance the argument that online tools are increasing not only the amount of contact that voters receive in elections encouraging them to vote but also its mobilizing effects. We make this claim based on the viral properties of the digital medium and its increasingly socially networked basis which make contact faster, more widespread and more likely to be mediated through friends and family. We investigate these propositions using cutting edge methodologies and a range of existing and new election survey data from the U.S. and UK that measures the incidence of different forms of voter contact in these countries during their most recent national elections. The work is highly significant given the concerns that have been raised over falling rates of voter turnout and attachment to parties and politicians within Western Democracies and the U.S. and UK in particular. Based on our findings we will be able to provide new systematic insights for academics and practitioners into the extent and effectiveness of traditional versus new online forms of voter contacting, and what works best to stimulate political engagement. The comparative element of the research is useful in that it will allow us to also examine whether the context and particularly nature of elections and party system affects the rate and impact of these contacts. Beyond its substantive significance the project is important in extending the PI's current ESRC funded comparative study of online election campaigns and participation. In particular it brings additional methodological skills and expertise in analysis of U.S. National election study data from the U.S. to the project, allowing the PI and the international CI to work together on a cutting edge paper for publication and a follow up grant application. The practical implications of the work are notable in that it will provide the first systematic comparative insight into the effectiveness of online and offline contacting by parties and candidates' during elections and also demonstrate the extent and value of secondary contacts across informal social networks. This will be of benefit to those working on election campaigners as well as other types of public outreach and communication efforts. Finally, given the strong overlap in the research agenda of the U.S. CI and scholars and students at the Institute for Social Change (ISC) and the Democracy Citizens and Elections Research Network (DCERN) at the University Manchester, the collaboration is expected to yield extensive benefits in terms of providing advice, feedback and the building of links with the CI's joint Research Centre with North Carolina on American Politics (DUNC).