Modern day democracies rely on citizens perceiving the responsibility to take part in election processes. To increase voter turnouts, activating voter motivation is thus key. A crucial, inherent motivator to choose specific behavior, or to act at all, is our experienced effectiveness regarding that behavior, i.e., our sense of agency (SoA). However, in voting situations in which many voters cast their vote, the association between action, consequence, and causal agent becomes blurred, presumably reducing our perception of control, a key aspect of SoA. So, how can we design voting situations that optimize our perceived control? Which situational variables affect our perceived control in voting situations, from the number of voting options over experience in specific voting systems to the number of presumed co-voters? And how do these results relate to empirical evidence on SoA formation outside of voting situations?
The presented study demonstrates that there are various, seemingly general aspects affecting SoA formation that extend also to voting situations. Thus, perceived control differs depending on voting conditions, identifying key aspects affecting voter motivation and, potentially, political engagement.