Professors Cheryl Boudreau and Scott MacKenzie publish on political donations in the Journal of Politics

UC Davis political scientists Cheryl Boudreau and Scott A. MacKenzie have a new article forthcoming in the Journal of Politics that examines when and why citizens choose to donate money to political campaigns versus charitable causes. Using a donation experiment conducted during California’s 2022 elections, the study shows that people are generally less willing to give to political recipients than to non-political organizations. However, important distinctions exist within political giving: respondents donated far more to a ballot proposition campaign than to a political candidate, and at levels comparable to donations to education charities. The research also demonstrates that endorsements matter not only for voting but for fundraising, as endorsements from experts and celebrities increased donations to political causes, especially among politically knowledgeable individuals. Together, the findings highlight how endorsements can reduce the perceived risks of political giving and help explain why some political campaigns are more successful than others at mobilizing citizen donations. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10.1086/740726