ABSTRACT
Referendums ask citizens their views on a specific political question. This exercise, as opposed to the usual delegation of the task to an elected representative, requires a different and deeper kind of reflection. The core idea underpinning the direct democratic process is that citizens can make informed choices and correctly express their opinion in the vote. However, we often observe drastic shifts in voting intentions during referendum campaigns, which reveal the instability in public opinion. For instance, the Dutch and French referendums on the European Constitution shocked European elites by switching from fairly positive views in 2004 to outright rejection in 2005. Other examples range from the Canadian vote on the Charlottetown Accord in 1992 to the Irish vote on Parliamentary Inquiries in 2011. Is such volatility a danger to direct democracy? Do citizens need to know all before the referendum campaigns begin or can the campaign inform them about the choice they need to make? If so, how do people decide in referendums? Are all kinds of campaign information equally effective in shaping public opinion?
