A well known example of voter conformism is a bandwagon effect. A bandwagon effect occurs when the poll prompts voters to back the candidate shown to be winning in the poll, thus increasing his/her chances of being on the ‘winner’s side’ in the end. The idea that voters are susceptible to such an effect is old, and has remained persistent in spite of much debate on its empirical existence. Bartels, for instance, shows that voters are motivated in part by a desire to vote for the winning candidate. The opposite of the bandwagon effect is an underdog effect; this occurs when people vote, out of sympathy, for the candidate perceived … Continue reading Woojin Lee