University of Edinburgh Creates Datasets to Study MP E-Newsletters' Impact on Voting
Two new datasets, CanberraInbox and UK MP Inbox, have been created by the University of Edinburgh to study the e-newsletters sent by Australian and UK Parliament members. This initiative aims to explore the influence of these direct, unfiltered messages on political participation and voting behavior.
The datasets, which cover all e-newsletters sent by MPs, are a response to the lack of an official public repository for such communications. This gap is concerning in the current age of mis- and disinformation.
During the Australian election, MPs used e-newsletters to focus on niche or local issues, or to distance themselves from their party leader. In both Australia and the UK, centre-right parties were more likely to send e-newsletters than centre-left parties. In the UK, Conservative MPs discussed elections more frequently than Labour or Liberal Democrat MPs. These platforms allow MPs to express their personality and use humor to engage constituents.
The creation of these datasets will enable researchers to study elite political communication, policy agenda-setting, and framing. Future research will explore the readership of e-newsletters to understand their influence on political participation, opinions, and voting behavior. Despite their potential impact, only 35% of Australian MPs and 32% of UK MPs have sent e-newsletters.
