Why Do Respondents Answer “Don’t Know” in Political Surveys?

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  • なぜ 「わからない」 が選択されるのか :
  • なぜ「わからない」が選択されるのか : サーベイ実験による情報提示がDKに与える影響の分析
  • ナゼ 「 ワカラナイ 」 ガ センタク サレル ノ カ : サーベイ ジッケン ニ ヨル ジョウホウ テイジ ガ DK ニ アタエル エイキョウ ノ ブンセキ
  • ─サーベイ実験による情報提示がDKに与える影響の分析─
  • Examining the Causal Effects of Giving Policy and Political Party Information on “Don’t Know” Answers through a Survey Experiment

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<p>This article examines the causal effects of giving information on policies and political parties on “Don’t Know” (DK) answers on the basis of survey experiments conducted in Japan. Previous studies argue that many respondents have low levels of political knowledge, and therefore the DK rates for political surveys are often high. However, we assume that DK rates may increase not only in cases where knowledge is low but also when the respondents feel a sensitivity concerning political questions. For some people who tend to avoid political subjects, giving information about politics may cause increased DK rates. The results of survey experiments to test our hypothesis are as follows: in questions about policy preferences, giving the information about the details of policies reduces DK rates; however, giving information about parties’positions on policies increases DK rates. These findings imply that giving comprehensive information about politics is not always useful to help respondents express their opinions.</p>

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