Social norms and elections: How elected rules can make behavior (in)appropriate

Can elections change people’s ideas about what is ethically right and wrong? A number of recent observations suggest that social norms can rapidly as a result election outcomes. We explore this conjecture using controlled online experiment. In our experiment, participants rate the appropriateness sharing income with poorer individuals. compare ratings for situations in which rule has been elected asks people to share when not share. also both decision environment there no official at all. absence an rule, widely considered socially appropriate, while inappropriate. show norm: They shift modal perception actions and, depending on increase their dispersion, i.e. erode previously existing consensus. As result, judged inappropriate (not sharing) become appropriate. This power prevails, albeit weakened form, even if process flawed (introducing voting fee or “poll tax”, bribing voters, disenfranchising voters). An additional treatment suggests information contained results following rules per se play role shifting norms.