"We care not only about what politicians do, but what they try to do - seeing that effort to improve our everyday lives," said Talbot Andrews. "But we are more forgiving of co-partisan incumbents for bad outcomes outside their control. When evaluating opposing party members, we care more if they've delivered benefits or not."
The research published in the Journal of Politics highlights that voters assess incumbents not only on outcomes but also on their intentions to implement beneficial policies.
The findings suggest that voters responding positively to good policy outcomes, with a notable 11 percentage point increase in support for incumbents achieving those outcomes.
Through online simulations, the study reveals how voters give considerable weight to incumbents' intentions, reflecting a nuanced evaluation process in electoral accountability.
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