Same-Sex Marriage Referendum: What Factors Cause People to Stop the Circulation of Negative Messages on Smartphones?

Abstract

In 2018, Taiwan held a referendum on same-sex marriage issues. Since it was the first time the public had an opportunity to make a decision on such issues, it became a battleground for conflicting ideologies, in which false messages were employed to influence voters. The current study focuses on the factors that might help people to stop the circulation of false messages. Social capital, political efficacy, and the theory of planned behavior have been integrated to develop a theoretical framework. The current study employs a 2x2 experimental design with partial least squares structural modelling to examine the hypotheses. The results demonstrated that people rarely follow rational routes to make voting decision on such issues. Voters are not concerned with the truthfulness of the messages but their stance. However, people might conceal their stance when facing weak ties of their social relations.