Effects of VAAs on Electoral Decision-Making – Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment

Based on data from a large-scale field experiment in the Swiss canton of Zurich we analyze the impact of Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) on electoral behavior. In line with previous research (e.g. Pianzola et al. 2019, Munzert et al. 2020) we find no evidence that VAA use leads to more swing-voting. However, VAA users make greater use of the possibilities offered by the Swiss open-list electoral system and split their votes more frequently. Furthermore, VAA users distribute their votes to more parties and candidates than non-users. Thus, we conclude that the impact of VAAs must not be reduced to the swing-voting aspect. Our findings suggest that the effect of VAA use on voting behavior depends on the voting system and the design of the VAA.