Political knowledge and campaign effects in the 2008 Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty

This article makes a distinction between the attitude component of campaigns and the knowledge component and argues that a campaign that influences knowledge of a proposal can be quite successful in influencing the vote. On June 12th 2008 Irish voters voted against ratification of the Lisbon Treaty....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Electoral studies 2015-06, Vol.38, p.217-225
Main Authors: Elkink, Johan A., Sinnott, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Campaigns
European integration
Ireland
Lisbon Treaty
Political knowledge
Referendums
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Summary:This article makes a distinction between the attitude component of campaigns and the knowledge component and argues that a campaign that influences knowledge of a proposal can be quite successful in influencing the vote. On June 12th 2008 Irish voters voted against ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Perceptions, and especially misperceptions, of the Treaty played an important role in the referendum. The campaign focused in particular on influencing voters' perceptions of, rather than attitudes towards the Treaty. This article examines the interaction between knowledge, campaigns, and perceptions of the Treaty, in the referendum.
ISSN:0261-3794
1873-6890
DOI:10.1016/j.electstud.2015.02.003