First and Foremost - Understanding and optimising the electoral participation of first time voters

第一次是许多人永远不会忘记的时刻。根据Bruter和Harrison（2017）的研究，73%的英国人，82%的美国人和90%的南非人记得他们的第一次投票。现有文献也证实了第一次选举经验的长期重要性。Butler和Stokes（1971）表明，前两次选举中的选举人选择在很大程度上决定了未来的投票。富兰克林（2004）以及科波克和绿色（2016）的研究表明，第一次机会的投票率可能会启动一个习惯化过程。Lodge，Gottfried at al.（2014）和Bruter and Harrison（2017）更进一步，发现在他们生命中的前两次选举中投票可能会使公民成为定期参与者，而在两次选举中弃权可能会导致他们成为长期的反对者。因此，第一次选举决定了人们生活中大部分时间可能的选举投票率和行为，第一和最重要的是系统地关注新选民的经历，他们行为的心理，制度和政治决定因素，第一和最重要的是一个充分试点的实证比较项目，以定量和定性相结合的方法为基础，重点是确定公民第一次投票的经验，了解阻碍或提高他们可能参与，满意度和参与未来选举的可能性的心理，制度和背景因素。我们还评估了选举管理机构如何利用第一次投票的机会来提高潜在的第一次选民的参与度和满意度，特别是通过实验测试针对第一次选民的非常具体的工具。该项目与英国、澳大利亚、南非、法国和美国的选举管理机构进行了独特的合作，以确保我们拟议的工作产生最大的影响。我们模式的核心理念是，虽然青年参与是一项挑战，但公民的第一次投票也是一个独特的机会。我们使用其他“第一次”的心理学研究-从性到酒精和父母-来了解第一次动态如何最好地适应第一次投票的问题。该项目将回答以下研究问题：如何是一个年轻人的第一次选举经历，什么是潜在的第一次选民的情绪，态度（满意度与选举过程，效率，异化），并在他们的第一次和随后的第二次选举投票率的个人，机构和上下文的决定因素？它依赖于四个方法要素：（1）对第一次获得选举权的人进行小组研究调查，（2）焦点小组，（3）选举日记，（4）关于旨在使第一次选举特别和成功的措施的影响的实验和实地实验。主要侧重于三个关键途径，将我们的研究成果转化为政治解决方案，并使用户参与我们的研究，从概念和组织到最重要的研究成果的实施：与主要的选举委员会/选举管理机构以及参与支持选举民主的政府间组织合作;与关注青年参与和参与的智囊团合作;与在青年公民中拥有大量受众的主要媒体机构合作。

First times are moments that many never forget. According to Bruter and Harrison (2017), 73% of British people, 82% of Americans, and 90% of South Africans remember their first vote. The existing literature has also confirmed the long-term importance of that first electoral experience. Butler and Stokes (1971) showed that electoral choice in the first two elections largely determines future vote. Franklin (2004) and Coppock and Green's (2016) works show how turnout at the first opportunity may start a habituation process. Lodge, Gottfried at al. (2014) and Bruter and Harrison (2017) go even further and find that voting in the first two elections of their lives will likely make citizens regular participants, whilst abstaining in both may lead them to become chronic abstentionists instead. First elections thus determine likely electoral turnout and behaviour for much of people's lives, and First and Foremost dedicates systematic attention to the way new voters experience them, the psychological, institutional, and political determinants of their behaviour, and potential institutional responses.First and Foremost is a fully piloted empirical comparative project based on mixed quantitative and qualitative methods which focuses on characterising the experience of citizens' first vote, understanding the psychological, institutional, and contextual factors that impede or improve their likely participation, satisfaction, and likelihood to participate in future elections. We also assess how Election Management Bodies can use the opportunity of this first vote to improve potential first time voters' engagement and satisfaction notably by experimentally testing very specific instruments directed at first time voters. The project features a unique collaboration with Election Management Bodies in the UK, Australia, South Africa, France and the USA to ensure the highest level of impact of our proposed work.At the heart of our model is the idea that whilst youth participation is a challenge, a citizen's first vote is also a unique opportunity. We use psychological research on other 'first times' - from sexuality to alcohol and parenthood - to understand how the first time dynamics can be best adapted to the question of the first vote. The project will answer the following research question: How is a young person's first election experienced, what are the personal, institutional, and contextual determinants of potential first time voters' emotions, attitudes (satisfaction with the electoral process, efficacy, alienation), and turnout in their first and subsequently second election? It relies on four methodological elements: 1) a panel-study survey of people reaching electoral franchise for the first time, 2) focus groups, 3) election diaries, and 4) experiments and field experiments on the impact of measures aimed to make a first election special and successful.The project makes impact a priority, predominantly focusing on three key avenues to translate our research findings into political solutions and engage users with our research from its conception and organisation to the implementation of its most important findings: collaboration with leading Electoral Commissions/Election Management Bodies as well as Inter-Governmental Organisations involved in the support for electoral democracy; collaboration with think tanks which are concerned with youth engagement and participation; collaboration with leading media outlets with a strong audience amongst young citizens.