Care to Share? Public Information Sharing of Messages from an Advisory Minipublic (Accepted)

Abstract

Exchanging political ideas and information is at the heart of democracy. Research has shown that the information people receive from various sources can alter their voting decisions, but investigators have not considered how voters might use deliberative minipublics in their political networks. This article fills that gap by examining which voters are more likely to share a statement from an advisory minipublic. Using data from three US states (Oregon N = 963, Arizona N = 1,138, and Massachusetts N = 1,139), we tested six hypotheses regarding respondents’ intention to share information from a Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR) minipublic. Results showed that voters’ willingness to share CIR information is driven by perceptions of information credibility and usefulness more than ideology. Prior political engagement and faith in deliberation also have positive associations with the intention to share. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the transition from formal minipublics to informal peer-to-peer deliberation.

Alexander M. Geisler

Postdoctoral researcher

I research the theory and practice of political communication and participatory innovations.