Valérie-Anne Mahéo

Bio: Valérie-Anne Mahéo is an academic researcher from Université de Montréal. The author has contributed to research in topics: Voting & Mobilization. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 11 publications receiving 204 citations. Previous affiliations of Valérie-Anne Mahéo include Laval University & McGill University.

The Impact of Mobilization Media on Off-Line and Online Participation: Are Mobilization Effects Medium-Specific?

Abstract: In recent years, voluntary associations and political organizations have increasingly switched to Internet-based mobilization campaigns, replacing traditional forms of face-to-face recruitment and mobilization. The existing body of empirical research on Internet-based mobilization, however, is not conclusive about the effects this form of mobilization might have. In this article, the authors argue that this lack of strong conclusions might be due to the failure to distinguish different behavioral outcomes of mobilization, and more specifically, a distinction between online and off-line forms of participation is missing. In this experimental study, participants were exposed to potentially mobilizing information either by way of face-to-face interaction or by website. The results of the experiment indicate that web-based mobilization only has a significant effect on online participation, whereas face-to-face mobilization has a significant impact on off-line behavior, which would imply that mobilization effects are medium-specific. The authors close with some observations on what these findings might imply for the democratic consequences of the current trend toward an increasing reliance on Internet-based forms of political mobilization.

The Potential of Internet Mobilization: An Experimental Study on the Effect of Internet and Face-to-Face Mobilization Efforts

Abstract: In recent years, voluntary associations and political organizations have increasingly relied on Internet-based mobilization campaigns, replacing traditional forms of face-to-face recruitment and mobilization. Within the literature, one can observe an intensive debate about the possible consequences of this transition. Most importantly, the question is whether political mobilization through the Internet is just as effective as mobilization in a face-to-face setting. In this article, we report on a mobilization experiment using both traditional (face-to-face) and modern (Web site) incentives for mobilization. The experiment was conducted among undergraduate students in Belgium and Canada and included a test of medium-term mobilization effects. Results suggest that the Internet is successful in transferring knowledge and raising issue salience among respondents, but neither experimental manipulation led to significant behavioral changes. We do not find any indication that among this experimental sample Inter...

Why Can’t a Student Be More Like an Average Person?: Sampling and Attrition Effects in Social Science Field and Laboratory Experiments

Abstract: In the social sciences, the use of experimental research has expanded greatly in recent years. For various reasons, most experiments rely on convenience samples of undergraduate university students. This practice, however, might endanger the validity of experimental findings, as we can assume that students will react differently to experimental conditions than the general population. We therefore urge experimental researchers to broaden their pool of participants, despite the obvious practical difficulties this might entail with regard to recruitment and motivation of the participants. We report on an experiment comparing the reactions of student and non-student participants, showing clear and significant differences. A related problem is that differential attrition rates might endanger the effects found in long-term research. We argue that experimental researchers should pay more attention to the characteristics of participants in their experimental design.

Is the Parti Québécois Bound to Disappear? A Study of the Current Generational Dynamics of Electoral Behaviour in Quebec

Abstract: In Quebec, the setback of the Parti Quebecois (PQ) in the last 2014 provincial election testifies of a continuous decline of the party since the 1995 referendum defeat. With now only 25 per cent of vote shares, the question arises: Is the PQ bound to disappear? This article examines the support for the PQ across different generations, and tests explanations for these varying levels of support. The results show that the attitudinal profile of millennials is particularly distinct from that of baby boomers on several dimensions, but that generation X is not so different from the boomers. We demonstrate that the decline of the PQ in 2014 was mostly concentrated among millennials, who were less inclined to see the project of sovereignty as a priority and less likely to support the incumbent PQ government's controversial proposal to adopt a Charter of Quebec Values. We conclude by examining how the results of the study can shed light on the PQ's future prospects.

Information Campaigns and (Under)Privileged Citizens: An Experiment on the Differential Effects of a Voting Advice Application

Abstract: Information campaigns are key elements of elections. Past research has established the importance of campaigns in informing and educating citizens, and ultimately strengthening participatory democracy. While the Internet has increased the possibilities to disseminate information campaigns and eased access to political information, it is still debated whether online campaigns are effective in stimulating political interest and participation among the general public. The issue is not only one of access, but also of use of information. The investigation of main effects of campaigns obscures the fact that citizens may not use information in the same way and reap the same political benefits. In this study, I examine the conditional effects of a new type of Web information campaign, Voting Advice Applications (VAAs), on the political engagement and electoral participation of citizens with varying levels of education. By investigating who benefits most from using these apps, I evaluate whether VAAs reinforce pat...

The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion.

Abstract: Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1994, Vol 39(2), 225. Reviews the book, The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion by John Zaller (1992). The author's commendable effort to specify a model of mass opinion formation offers readers an introduction to the prevailing vi

Prospective prediction of health-related behaviours with the Theory of Planned Behaviour: a meta-analysis

Abstract: This meta-analysis explored the efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) dependent on behaviour and methodological moderators. A lack of hierarchical analysis in previous reviews risks confounding these moderators. Here moderating roles of behaviour type, length of follow-up, sample age and behavioural measure are explored hierarchically amongst prospective tests of the TPB, controlling for past behaviour where possible. Searching identified 237 prospective tests from 206 articles. Random-effects meta-analytic procedures were used to correcting correlations for sampling and measurement error. Behaviour type moderated the model; physical activity and diet behaviours were better predicted (23.9% and 21.2% variance explained, respectively) whilst risk, detection, safer sex and abstinence from drugs were poorly predicted (between 13.8 and 15.3% variance explained). Methodological moderators were also apparent: age of sample moderated relations with student samples better predicted for physical activi...

A New Engagement? Political Participation, Civic Life, and the Changing American Citizen

Abstract: A New Engagement? Political Participation, Civic Life, and the Changing American Citizen. By Cliff Zukin, Scott Keeter, Molly Andolina, Krista Jenkins, and Michael X. Delli Carpini. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. 253p. $19.00. Should we be really worried about declining public engagement? Or should we accept that it is merely changing shape? This book describes substantial alterations in the ways Americans are involved in public life, particularly younger citizens, and analyzes a wide range of empirical data with the goal of understanding the implications—both negative and positive—of these emerging patterns of participation.

Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth

Abstract: This book is arguably the most important book to be published recently in the area of the Journal's special issue, as it sets the agenda for the ongoing study of young people's civic and political engagement with and through the internet. It comprehensively includes many of the main theorists and empirical researchers currently working in this field of study. It also poses important research questions for the future on how to best understand contemporary forms of civic engagement that are now facilitated by the internet. Luckily for readers the book is also accompanied by a web based discussion where the contributors and other invited experts debate and discuss concepts and ideas that underpinned the development of this book project Lance Bennett in the introductory chapter 'Changing citizenship in the digital age' explains how the practice of citizenship itself has changed in the contemporary epoch and that the internet amplifies how we understand this. He identifies all age groups' increasing cynicism with formal, electoral based politics