The Bradley Effect Myth

The Bradley effect (Wilder effect), is a proposed explanation for a discrepancy between voter opinion polls and election outcomes in American political campaigns when a white candidate and a non-white candidate run against each other.

The Bradley effect refers to an alleged tendency on the part of some voters to tell pollsters that they are undecided or likely to vote for a black candidate, and yet, on election day, vote for his/her white opponent. The theory behind the Bradley effect is that the inaccurate polls have been skewed because some white voters give inaccurate polling responses due to fear they will be criticized for racial motivated voting.

An excellent article that discusses the Bradley effect myth is The Bradley Effect – Selective Memory by V. Lance Tarrance, Jr. (October 13, 2008) available at Real Clear Politics. If the link is dead, check our library link section for other links or the archive section for a copy of this article.

Other recent articles are you might want to follow up with are:

• The ‘Bradley effect’ in 2008 – Will this year’s election bring us the ‘Obama effect’? by Patt Morrison (October 2, 2008) availble at Los Angeles Times
• Will Obama suffer from the ‘Bradley effect’? by Jason Carroll (October 14, 2008) availble at CNN