選民對於國會議員堅守立場與轉變立場的評估：調查實驗的證據

Voters’Evaluation of Legislators’Consisten-cy and Inconsistency in Positions: Evidence from Survey Experiments

對於民選代表應該代表什麼，每個人有不同的看法。有些人認為國會議員應該履行自己在競選期間的承諾，也有些人認為他們應該跟隨民意動態調整自己的看法。本文從選民的角度來評估對國會議員是堅守承諾還是轉變立場的看法。為回答此問題，本文採取網路實驗設計的方式，分為六組實驗組，其中三組探討當國會議員堅持立場時選民的評價；另外三組探討當國會議員改變其立場時選民的評價。接著，本文更進一步分析，選民對於國會議員因不同的壓力而繼續堅持立場或轉變立場時，是否會有不同的看法？不同的壓力包括：來自政黨、全國民意或選區選民的壓力。
實驗的結果呈現選民對於堅守承諾的國會議員評價高於改變立場者。而對於堅守承諾者，又因國會議員為堅守立場而與不同的壓力產生衝突時，受試者對其評價而有所不同。選民對於國會議員因為與政黨衝突而堅守立場者的評價最高，其次為全國民意、最後為選區民意。
對於改變立場者，選民的評價正好相反，對於因為黨意而改變立場者評價最差，其次為全國民意，選民較能接受的是因選區民意而改變立場者。

Views on what qualities elected representatives should embody vary among individuals. Some argue that legislators should fulfill the promises they made during their campaigns, while others believe they should adapt their viewpoints in response to opinion dynamics. This paper evaluates from the electorate’s per-spective whether legislators should adhere to their commitments or shift their stances. To address this question, an online experimental design was employed, dividing the study into six experimental groups: three groups assessed voter evaluations when legislators maintained their positions, and the other three eval-uated changes in legislators’stances. Furthermore, this study delves into whether voters’perceptions differ when legislators persist in their positions or alter them under various types of pressure, including those stemming from their political parties, national public opinion, or constituency opinion.
The experimental outcomes indicate that voters rate legislators who keep their promises higher than those who change their positions. Among the stead-fast legislators, the evaluation varies depending on the nature of the conflict aris-ing from their firm stance against different kinds of pressure. Legislators who stand firm against party conflicts receive the highest approval from participants, followed by those who resist national public opinion and lastly, those who resist constituency opinion.
Conversely, for legislators who change their positions, voter evaluations are inversely related; those who shift due to party pressure are rated lowest, followed by shifts due to national public opinion. Voters are most accepting of changes made in response to constituency opinion.