Who Follows the Referendum Campaign? The Effect of Political Interest and Media Use in Bulgaria

Abstract

ABSTRACT The content of referendum campaigns and their effects on voters has been broadly covered in the literature. However, there is little information about who follows the campaigns. To address this gap in the literature our article analyzes what determines the people who vote in referendums to pay attention to the political campaign. The analysis focuses on the 2016 referendum in Bulgaria and uses individual-level data from an original survey. The findings indicate that high interest in politics and the use of traditional media increased the level of campaign following. Online news consumption and political participation had a lower positive effect.