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Summary

Audit studies typically involve researchers sending a message to or making a request of some sample in order to unobtrusively measure subjects’ behaviors. These studies are often conducted as a way of measuring bias or discrimination. We introduce readers to audit studies, describe their basic design features, and then provide advice on effectively implementing these studies. In particular, we provide several suggestions aimed at improving the internal, ecological, and external validity of audit study findings.

Results of an audit study conducted during the 2016 election cycle demonstrate that bias toward Latinos observed during the 2012 election has persisted. In addition to replicating previous results, we show that Arab/Muslim Americans face an even greater barrier to communicating with local election officials, but we find no evidence of bias toward blacks. An innovation of our design allows us to measure whether e-mails were opened by recipients, which we argue provides a direct test of implicit discrimination. We find evidence of implicit bias toward Arab/Muslim senders only.

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3 - Audit Studies in Political Science

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Persistent Bias Among Local Election Officials

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2 results

3 - Audit Studies in Political Science

Summary

Persistent Bias Among Local Election Officials