As Philanthropy for Impact we were delighted to team up with Stefan Batory Foundation, Polis Business Roundtable Foundation and a number of research partners to study the effectiveness of get-out-the-vote campaigns during Poland’s 2023 parliamentary elections. This study brought promising results, the highlights of which are presented below.
Campaign visibility: A high percentage of respondents answered that they paid attention to get-out-the-vote ads emitted by entities not directly related to politics. Significantly, the declaration of noticing campaigns was made most often by the youngest respondents (18-29) and women aged 18-39, suggesting that such campaigns may reach these groups of the population more effectively.
Campaign impact: The study clearly indicates that get-out-the-vote campaigns had a crucial role in encouraging citizens to vote in the parliamentary elections. More than 70% of survey participants who were exposed to get-out-the-vote campaigns said these had a significant impact on motivating them to participate in elections. What’s more, the turnout rate among those who were exposed to get-out-the-vote campaigns was significantly higher than among those who were not.
Mobilizing factors: The survey highlighted that emotions have a key role in motivating voters. Strong negative emotions, such as anger, disappointment, opposition, frustration, fear and powerlessness, were the main source of motivation for voters. This confirms citizens’ discouragement with existing political leadership and their desire for change.
Philanthropy for Impact’s Maciej Kuziemski commented: “It’s been encouraging to see the unprecedented number of get-out-the-vote campaigns, widely supported by Polish philanthropists and entrepreneurs. This study clearly proves that the effort had a significant impact on voter behavior.”
Preliminary results can be accessed here (in Polish), while the final report of the study will be released soon.
