Informing Voters About Public Finance Evidence from a Survey Experiment

Abstract

This study investigates how information about municipal credit ratings influences voters' evaluations of incumbent mayors. Through an original survey experiment, we assess the impact of credit rating downgrades and crime rate increases on citizens' perceptions of mayoral performance. Our findings reveal that information on both issues significantly affects voters' evaluations, with negative news about public finance and crime rates leading to decreased support for incumbents. Notably, the effects of credit downgrades are nearly as substantial as those of crime increases despite public finance being a more complex and less salient issue. Additionally, we observe that voters with varying political knowledge respond similarly to changes in municipal credit ratings, suggesting that such information serves as a useful heuristic in local elections. Our study underscores the importance of accessible financial information in promoting accountability in local governance.