School of Politics and International Relations

Professor Philip Cowley, EU referendum: Will anyone read £9m government leaflet?

7 April 2016

 

One of the most shocking aspects of the government's decision to spend £9m on a campaign to promote Britain's EU membership - judging by social media reaction - is that it is based around leafleting, reports BBC News. Leaflets seem like a staggeringly inefficient and low rent way of getting a message out in today's networked world but Professor Philip Cowley suggests otherwise. He said: "Political parties would not spend millions of pounds each election putting this stuff out if it didn't work. It's still the main mechanism by which voters hear from political organisations. It dwarfs every other form of contact."
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