Social pressure: we’ve all heard about it, but does it really work? As humans, we care a lot about social norms. Our desire to be liked and accepted by our peers shapes our behavior more than we’d like to admit.
Humans lie about our bad behaviors and exaggerate our better tendencies, all in the name of fitting in.
That’s why social pressure is such an effective tactic for campaigns and organizations when it comes to getting folks to turn out and vote. In competitive elections, where the outcomes are decided by a razor-thin margin, leveraging this quirk of human behavior can mean a boost to your results. But it’s also a balancing act. If you’re too aggressive, you could risk triggering a voter backlash. Check out our tips for incorporating social pressure into your GOTV mail program and finding the sweet spot for your campaign.
Talk about voting as a social norm
The first step to using social pressure effectively is framing voting as an important social norm so people won’t want to violate it.
The most famous/infamous way to do this is to send a voter report card that shows how the recipient measures up to their neighbors in terms of recent voting history.
If you don’t want to go quite that far, you can also leave the neighborhood out of the equation and just show the recipient their own voting history, which shows the voter that their civic participation is being tracked.
You can even boost the impact of these tactics by saying your organization may reach out after Election Day to ask about their voting experience. This simple tactic has been shown to add another layer of accountability for voters.
The uglier, the better
When it comes to social pressure mail, plain, utilitarian letters that look like official government mail consistently outperform pretty, glossy mailers. A stark, black-and-white, text-heavy layout signals urgency and importance, which naturally compels the recipient to open the envelope, read the letter all the way through, and take the message seriously.
This approach helps reduce the skepticism people have about political ads. No one owns a patent on ugly direct mail designs, but you do need to be transparent about where the piece came from and use the legally required disclaimers and return addresses.
Know your audience
When you’re thinking about how you might want to use social pressure, it’s important to understand who you’re talking to and how you think they might respond.
Voters react to social pressure in different ways. For instance, a group of independents and moderate voters may be highly sensitive to messaging that feels overly aggressive or creepy. On the other hand, hardcore high-propensity liberal voters may be less likely to react negatively to heavy-handed social pressure tactics.
Voter propensity should also shape your social pressure message. If you're talking with infrequent voters, you may want to remind them that who they vote for is private, but whether they voted is a matter of public record. For voters who vote in presidential elections but drop off in the midterms, you may want to thank them for voting, and remind them that their community is counting on them again this year.
Know your limits
Research shows that social pressure is most effective in increasing turnout when the language is most aggressive, but that doesn’t mean it’s always worth using this approach.
Before using aggressive social pressure messaging, you should be sure to consider the potential for backlash. For some organizations, a program's goal isn't just to increase voter turnout. They want to build long-term relationships with voters. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign was criticized for sending out mail with “voting violation” language leading up to the 2016 Iowa caucuses, for example. Every organization has a different tolerance for risk, so find the sweet spot for your program that you feel comfortable with.
Test out different approaches
There’s no real consensus on whether social pressure programs are more effective when they’re paired with other messaging. Some groups also use tactics like thanking people for being reliable voters or highlighting the importance of doing your civic duty. Every audience is different, and the only sure-fire way to know what moves your audience is to test it out.
If your budget and timeline allow, build testing into your program early so you can see what works. If it won’t vastly impact your vote goal, hold back a control group and do post-program analysis to see if your program moved the needle. And remember, what you learn can inform the messaging and strategy for future programs, so think of it as a long-term investment.
Positive vs. negative social pressure messaging
When we talk about social pressure, it’s easy to focus on the accountability and the mild anxiety that comes from being judged by your neighbors. But social pressure comes in two distinct flavors, and knowing which to use can be critical.
Negative social pressure is the classic voter report card approach, and it leans into the voter's fear of falling short of social expectations. While it is highly effective, it also risks backlash.
Positive social pressure, however, makes voters feel good about their past voting behavior so they do it again. There are a few ways to do this. You can highlight that everyone is voting, and frame the upcoming election as a high-energy community event. Or you can thank consistent and/or mid-propensity voters for turning out in a past election. That approach can reinforce voters’ self-image as active, engaged members of the community.
Go beyond the mailbox
There has been a lot of testing on using social pressure for direct mail, but there are also many ways to use social pressure effectively outside your direct mail program. Some other tactics to consider are:
- Peer-to-peer texting: Texting has a huge open rate, but a campaign text will often get deleted immediately. So, try introducing community accountability to spark a voter response. Try out a texting strategy of, “Hi Sam, we’re tracking voter turnout today and checking in on our neighbors. Do you have a plan to vote before polls close at 8 PM?”
- Relational organizing: The most effective form of social pressure comes from someone the voter already knows and trusts, so use relational organizing tools to have your volunteers reach out to their own personal contact lists. A text from a friend saying, "Hey, I just dropped off my ballot, have you turned yours in yet?" will have an unmatched level of accountability.
- Digital social pressure: Don’t let direct mail have all the fun! Make sure you’re using social pressure across your digital and social media programs too. You can use digital "I Voted" stickers or digital ads that thank someone for voting early in 2024. These can all help encourage others to join the movement so they don't experience political FOMO.
Have questions about social pressure for GOTV? Drop us a note.