Preaching to the choirs. Political parties’ online targeting strategies in multi-party systems

Abstract

Research suggests that political campaigns use online political microtargeting to mobilize a party’s existing voter base rather than to persuade new voters. However, most studies have been conducted in the US, where low turnout and high partisanship create optimal conditions for such a strategy. In this study, we analyze novel data on political parties’ use of targeting in Facebook and Instagram ads to examine the nature of microtargeting. The context of the 2022 Danish general election - with multiple parties, high voter turnout, and low partisanship - is a hard case for the mobilization thesis. Yet, in line with existing literature, we find that political parties focus their online targeting strategies on existing voters. However, the findings also suggest that political parties adjust their messages to conform with the presumed preferences of the targeted group, highlighting heterogeneity in the mobilization strategy.