| Abstract: | A laboratory experiment examined the effect of reporting poll results on opinions regarding a legislative proposal affecting higher education. The results indicated that exposure to poll results was more likely to change opinions when the proposal had few personal consequences, and when the majority position in the polls was counter to the opinions held by most subjects. Under these conditions, a ‘bandwagon effect’ resulted wherein subjects tended to switch to the majority position reported in the polls. However, when the personal consequences of the proposal were substantial, and/or the majority position was consistent with the views of most subjects, poll results had little or no impact on opinions. These results suggest that, in certain circumstances, reported poll results are viewed as an acceptable basis for opinions on government policies, and that governments can use poll results strategically to sway the opinions of voters - especially voters who are relatively unaffected by the policy. |
