Here is a slideshow of images displaying the performance of a hypothetical county sheriff. Respondents were randomly assigned to view an image and then answered questions about the sheriff's job performance and whether they would vote to re-elect him.
The text from the experiment:
We would like to ask some questions about a hypothetical county sheriff election in your county. Sheriffs are popularly elected and are responsible for enforcing laws, maintaining correctional facilities and overseeing other aspects of the criminal justice system.
Sheriff Howard Johnson is a career police officer, has served in office for four years and is running for re-election this November. He will face challenger Howard Smith, a career police officer with 23 years of experience, in the election.
We will now show you a graphic displaying crime rates over time to help you evaluate Sheriff Johnson’s performance in office.
The text from the experiment:
We would like to ask some questions about a hypothetical county sheriff election in your county. Sheriffs are popularly elected and are responsible for enforcing laws, maintaining correctional facilities and overseeing other aspects of the criminal justice system.
Sheriff Howard Johnson is a career police officer, has served in office for four years and is running for re-election this November. He will face challenger Howard Smith, a career police officer with 23 years of experience, in the election.
We will now show you a graphic displaying crime rates over time to help you evaluate Sheriff Johnson’s performance in office.