Identifying Voter Preferences for Politicians' Personal Attributes: A Conjoint Experiment in Japan

Abstract

The personal attributes of politicians are often important in determining the outcomes of elections, yet few studies have rigorously investigated which particular personal attributes (among many) are most relevant in shaping voters' preferences for politicians. We investigate this question with a conjoint survey experiment in Japan. In contrast to the commonly observed attributes of actual Japanese politicians, we find that voters dislike older politicians and celebrities, and are indifferent with regard to dynastic family ties and gender. Our results also reveal consistent preferences when respondents are primed with information about the different electoral contexts of Japan's mixed-member bicameral system, despite differences in the observed attributes of politicians across these contexts. These discrepancies suggest a significant role played by parties' recruitment and selection practices, rather than voters' preferences per se, in shaping the types of politicians who represent voters in parliament.