Interpersonal communication, voting behaviour and influence in an election campaign: The 2009 German elections

Abstract

Interpersonal influence - the process by which people change their idea according to the ideas of others - is a crucial mechanism that forges political agreement among citizens. By using data from the 2009 German Longitudinal Election Study short-term campaign panel, it will be tested how this strategy contributes to changing citizens’ ideas in the proximity of the 2009 Bundestag elections in Germany. Results of fixed-effect logistic regression models confirm the findings in previous literature, showing evidences consistent with influence effects. It is also suggested that the social circle of discussants alters the way in which people are influenced. Propensities to change vote choice, in fact, are boosted by the exposure to disagreeing strong ties, such as relatives and spouse/partner.