Voters might be fed up with politicians, but they will listen to people ‘like them’

The EU referendum campaign has made it apparent that a large number of voters are reluctant to trust politicians and experts. But who do they trust? Based on a unique study of 3,000 British voters, Sara Hobolt, Thomas J. Leeper and James Tilley conclude that a largely overlooked factor is the influence of the behaviour of people from the same social group. They show that informing respondents of the intention to vote of those ‘like them’ has a clear impact on their opinion about the referendum.