Do voters use information on candidates? Experimental evidence from a recent election

Abstract Through a survey experiment during the 2021 municipal elections of Rome, Italy, we evaluate the effects of a policy on political transparency that requires the online publication of information on candidates before the election. We find no effects on turnout and choice of councilors. However, treated subjects who invested more time browsing candidates’ profiles voted more for the incumbent mayor. These effects align with the limited engagement of subjects, who made little use of the information provided and mostly searched for incumbent candidates. The results suggest that broad interventions intending to curb the cost of acquiring political information may have limited efficacy.