Voting Behavior: Comparative Politics Lecture 11
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Questions and Answers

What primarily drives voters to consistently identify and vote for a specific political party according to the party identification model?

  • A strong emotional connection to the party
  • Fear of political instability
  • Historical allegiance established from family socialization (correct)
  • A lack of rational decision-making skills

    • Which period marked the transition of political science towards empirical models in studying voting behavior?

  • The interwar period (correct)
  • The rise of psychological research
  • Ancient times
  • The post-World War II era

    • Which of the following statements best reflects the stability of party identification compared to other political attitudes as described in the Michigan model?

  • Party identification can fluctuate drastically in response to political events.
  • Party identification is more stable than certain attitudes like religion. (correct)
  • Party identification is equally as stable as emotional attitudes.
  • Party identification is the least stable political attitude.

    • In which country did partisan dealignment show the largest average annual change between 1964 and 2010?

    <p>United Kingdom (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of political behavior did psychological research begin to significantly influence from the 1990s onward?

    <p>Empirical models in voting behavior analysis (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic feature of the party identification model as developed in the Michigan model?

    <p>Party identification remains consistent regardless of political circumstances. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following countries had the highest percentage of partisan voters in 2010 as reported in the data?

    <p>Australia (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary challenge associated with measuring early political experiences in relation to voting behavior?

    <p>Early political experiences can have only an intermediate effect on choices. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is primarily focused on in the sociological model developed at Columbia University?

    <p>Political preferences linked to group membership (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What significant change has been observed in class-based voting since the 1980s?

    <p>A decrease in class-based voting (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The rational choice model suggests that voters act primarily to:

    <p>Further their own interests through instrumental voting (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What key assertion does the dominant ideology model make about voter decision-making?

    <p>Elites and media significantly influence voter decisions (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which feature is NOT associated with the potential dynamics of the sociological model?

    <p>Politics based on individual performance evaluation (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key characteristic of voting described in the rational choice model?

    <p>Voters evaluate policy platforms based on their own interests (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following models critiques other voting models focusing on subconscious influence?

    <p>Dominant ideology model (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which model emphasizes a relationship between voting behavior and external features?

    <p>Sociological model (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flashcards

    Voting behavior

    The study of what motivates voters, who participates, and how political preferences are formed, specifically focused on democracies.

    Party identification (Michigan model)

    A model that suggests voters identify with a political party and tend to consistently vote for that party, regardless of specific candidates or issues.

    Partisan dealignment (trend)

    A decrease in voters' attachment to political parties.

    Motivations for voting

    The driving forces behind voters' participation and choices

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    Political preferences

    Individuals' choices of parties or policies.

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    Family socialization

    The process by which individuals adopt the political views of their family.

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    Empirical models

    Models based on data and observations, not on theory alone.

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    History of voting behavior research

    The evolution of studying voting choices, from early, theoretical approaches to modern, data-driven techniques.

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    Sociological Model (Columbia Model)

    A model that explains political preferences and actions are linked to group membership. Social groups tend to have similar political views.

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    Rational Choice Model

    A model explaining voting as an instrumental act. Voters choose policies that maximize their own self-interest.

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    Class Dealigment

    The decrease in voting based on social class since the 1980s, leading to the emergence of new voting blocs.

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    Dominant Ideology Model

    A critical model arguing that voters' decisions are influenced by elites and media rather than individual preferences.

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    Issue Voting

    Voting behaviour based on voters' evaluations of specific policies, rather than external characteristics.

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    Columbia University

    The academic institution where the Sociological model arose in the 1940s

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    Instrumental Voting

    Voting motivated primarily by self-interest and the pursuit of personal gain.

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    Study Notes

    Voting Behavior: Comparative Politics Lecture 11

    • The lecture focuses on voting behavior, specifically in democracies.
    • Key questions in the field include: what motivates voters, who participates politically, and what shapes political preferences.
    • Research into voting behavior has evolved. Initially, from ancient times until the interwar period, deductive reasoning was used.
    • During the interwar period, political science collaborated with economics and behavioral sciences/marketing to create empirical models.
    • In the 1990s, psychological research gained prominence in the field.

    Party Identification Model (Michigan Model)

    • Developed at the University of Michigan in the 1950s (The American Voter, 1960).
    • Key figures include Angus Campbell, Philip Converse, and colleagues.
    • Voters' party identification is stable and influences their voting choices regardless of current events.
    • Voters are less likely to change parties on a rational or emotional basis.
    • Party identification is more enduring than other political attitudes, but not as strong as deeply held beliefs, e.g religious beliefs.

    Potential Dynamics of the Michigan Model

    • Factors like family socialization and early political experiences influence voters’ party identification.
    • The impact of these factors is an intermediate one; other models provide a more comprehensive understanding of preferences.
    • The model, largely American-focused, is not as applicable globally.

    Partisan Dealignment

    • A trend across several countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, the United States, France, Japan, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
    • Analysis demonstrates reductions in partisan voters over specific time periods.
    • These decreases are measured as percentage changes per year.
    • Data in the table details the percentage of partisan voters for each country, averages for yearly change in these percentages, and the periods in time in which the data are valid.

    Types of Parties and Partisanship

    • Visualizations are presented, illustrating trends and changes in the voting shares of mainstream right-leaning, mainstream left-leaning, and challenger parties (left, right, and green) from the year 2000 onward.

    Sociological Model (Columbia Model)

    • Developed at Columbia University in the 1940s by Lazarsfeld, Berelson, and colleagues.
    • Links voters’ preferences and actions to group membership.
    • Assumes social groups tend to have similar political views.

    Potential Dynamics of the Sociological Model

    • Group interests and/or opinion leaders shape policy interests.
    • Identity voting emerges as a factor.
    • Voting can be influenced by external features.

    Class Dealignment

    • Class-based voting has decreased since the 1980s.
    • Notably, new groups are forming.

    Rational Choice Model

    • Developed during the interwar period largely by economists,
    • Influential people include Hotelling, Downs, and others.
    • Voters are motivated by their self-interests and engage in instrumental and issue-based voting.

    Potential Dynamics of the Rational Choice Model

    • Voters are assumed to hold clear preferences and evaluate candidates and platforms.
    • Voters prioritize actions best serving their interests.
    • Identity voting remains possible.
    • External factors influence voting choices.

    Dominant Ideology Model

    • Developed in the 1970s, it is a critique of other models.
    • It suggests voters' choices are not independent but rather are influenced by elites and the media.
    • This model highlights the role of subconscious decisions, interpreting positions, and how media and education influence public opinion.

    Psychological Model

    • Developed during the 1990s, a significant perspective on voting behaviors.
    • Key people include Marcus, Taber, and others (multiple models based on differing premises)
    • Voting decisions are influenced by emotional and subconscious factors rationalized later.

    Dynamics of the Psychological Model

    • Political events and campaigns are primarily drivers of emotional reactions, stronger than rational considerations.
    • Voters adjust preferences based on emotional responses.
    • Rational or group-based reasoning has limited role in voting decisions.

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    Related Documents

    Voting Behavior Lecture Notes PDF

    Description

    This lecture delves into the dynamics of voting behavior within democracies. It explores motivations behind voter participation, the evolution of research methods in understanding political preferences, and the impact of the Michigan Model of party identification. Key historical developments in the field are also discussed, highlighting the shift towards psychological insights in voting behavior.

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