Barriers to voting matter, but Americans overlook their impact, study finds

A new study shows how many Americans overlook the influence of external factors on voter turnout.

Conflicting work schedules, being far away from a polling place, and limited poll opening hours are some of the factors that can make it difficult to vote.

The study's lead author, Asaf Mazar, a USC researcher who recently joined the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, said that minor barriers affect voter turnout.

The study was published in the national academy of sciences Mazar was one of the lead authors along with Ziv Carmon and Wendy Wood.

The researchers conducted pre- and post- election surveys with a representative group of 1,280 voters. Research participants estimated the extent to which their own and others' turnout is influenced by a variety of factors.

Only 12% of study participants mention external factors when asked to list important drivers of turnout. The majority of participants believed in political ideology and saw voting as a civic duty.

It's the consequences of overlooking barriers.

The consequences of overlookingfriction were most important. Voters who underestimated friction's influence on voting were more likely to support policies that suppressed voter turnout.

These findings are important for future U.S. elections Several states have passed legislation that restricts voter access since the election. When voters can register and when they can submit mail-in ballots are restricted by some. signature matching is required for voter registration Neighborhoods with people of color are disproportionately affected by voting restrictions.

The findings have clear implications for policy support, according to the study's principal investigator and psychology professor.

If you are committed to voting, then you will go ahead and do so. Sensitivity to the challenges of voting seems to have been reduced by that belief. You don't see much need for voting to be highly accessible if you overlookfriction.

More information: Asaf Mazar et al, Americans discount the effect of friction on voter turnout, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2206072119 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences