The Attraction Effect and Political Choice in Two Elections

Abstract

Findings that challenge several normative assumptions of consumer choice have been documented in the literature on the attraction effect. There has been ample previous empirical evidence supporting the attraction effect. However, there is some concern that findings were generated only in hypothetical choice experiments. The choice of political candidates in elections presents a more complex and “real world” choice setting in which to reexamine the attraction effect. In this article, we report two studies that provide evidence of the attraction effect in the choice of political candidates in the 1994 Illinois State primary election and the 1992 U.S. Presidential election.