Social Networks and Voting

Abstract

This paper uses a randomized experiment to study whether social networks affect vote choice. In a fiercely contested presidential election in Peru with ten candidates, only 35% of subjects were aware how their friends intended to vote. We compare people who were randomly informed how one of their friends intended to vote to people who were randomly informed how an un-named stranger intended to vote. We find no evidence that informing people people how their friends intended to vote affects their vote choice.

Keywords: Social networks, Voting, Social learning

JEL Classification: D03, D72, D83, D85, O20, O54