week 9 - voter turnout + vote choice

Question 1

voter turnout formula

Answer 1

E(u) = p x b – c + d

Question 2

E(u)

Answer 2

• expected utility (value you get from doing something).
• Can be positive/negative.

Question 3

b

Answer 3

direct benefit you get from an action; benefit you would receive from the election of your
preferred party/candidate

Question 4

p

Answer 4

the probability you receive the benefit (ranges from 0-1)

Question 5

c

Answer 5

cost associated with undertaking an action

Question 6

d

Answer 6

• the intrinsic reward from doing the action.
  - generally the reward that motivates you.
• can be positive or negative.

Question 7

when is it rational to take an action

Answer 7

if the E(u) is greater than zero

Question 8

what is the decision to turnout a result of

Answer 8

a cost-benefit analysis

Question 9

why does b and p get dropped out when using election as an example

Answer 9

the probability of your vote (which is p x b) changing the outcome of an election is almost zero.

Question 10

what is the expected utility calculation reduced to when voting

Answer 10

E(u) = - c + d

Question 11

when should you vote

Answer 11

if the intrinsic reward outweighed the costs.

Question 12

costs and intrinsic benefits of voting

Answer 12

Costs: time, learning about candidates, transportation and lost income

Intrinsic Benefits: exercising your civic duty; looking good to others.

Question 13

four factors individual level factors linked to turnout

Answer 13

Age
Education
Political Sophistication
Income

Question 14

age in voting turnout

Answer 14

• older = higher turnout
• Older people tend to have a higher sense of civic duty which boosts the intrinsic benefits one receives from participation.
• Growing older increases one’s amount of information.

Question 15

education/political sophistication in voting turnout

Answer 15

• more education = higher turnout.
• Educated people have a higher sense of civic duty.
• They are more knowledgeable about registration procedures and the location of polling places.
• Fewer costs and more rewards = positive expected utility.

Question 16

income in voting turnout

Answer 16

• more wealth = higher turnout
• Low-income people are more likely to put basic survival needs before political engagement or civic participation.
• higher costs and less rewards = negative expected utility.

Question 17

country-level factors linked to turnout

Answer 17

Compulsory voting
Electoral system
Number of parties
Party polarization
Federalism
Competitiveness

Question 18

how does compulsory voting affect voter variation

Answer 18

• higher turnout
• Sanctioning those who do not vote lowers the costs of voting.
• the turnout bump is biggest where compulsory rules are both sanctioned and enforced

Question 19

which colony had compulsory voting

Answer 19

georgia (until 1787)

Question 20

how does electoral system affect voter variation

Answer 20

• lower turnout = non-PR systems; higher turnout = PR systems.
• For minor party voters in non-proportional systems, p is even lower.
• minor parties are less likely to waste resources making frivolous appeals for their supporters to turn out
• More turnout under PR systems, because they might deem the system or democracy is fairer and would be more likely to vote.

Question 21

how does the number of parties increase voter turnout

Answer 21

• more parties = more turnout
• More parties increase the likelihood of a person finding a party they like – benefits (b) would be higher.

Question 22

how could turnout be lower with the number of parties

Answer 22

More likely that winning parties will be a part of a coalition government where there are many parties (decreases the benefits for voters).

More cognitive costs: voters may get overwhelmed by the multitude of choices and give up.

Question 23

how does party polarization affect voter variation

Answer 23

• polarization = higher turnout.
• More polarized parties leads to people find parties that match their ideological viewpoint; increasing the benefits (b) for voters.

Question 24

federalism

Answer 24

• federalism = low turnout
• voters are called to the polls much more often (this leads to voter fatigue and increased costs).

Question 25

how does competitiveness affect voter turnout

Answer 25

• higher turnout
• close elections increase the p term.
• turnout tends to be higher in countries with smaller populations.

Question 26

theories of vote choice

Answer 26

• class and demographics
• Party identification
• Performance evaluations
• Ideology and policy preferences

Question 27

class and demographics (vote choice)

Answer 27

• Early explanations focused heavily on fixed demographic characteristics and the “groups” to which voters belong (social cleavages).
• Class become weaker predictor of vote choice across countries in recent decades

Question 28

why has class become a weak predictor of vote choice

Answer 28

• traditional class-based structures (labor unions) and religious organizations have weakened.
• political parties have begun making appeals across the class lines

Question 29

why does class and demographics in vote choice matter

Answer 29

One’s social position often reflects their political beliefs and values and the political cues to which they are exposed.

Question 30

party identification (vote choice)

Answer 30

-Partisanship can be typically inherited via familial socialization
- works as a filter that structures how people see the political world.
- People with partisan attachment typically vote for the party with which they identify.
- Partisanship is a low-cost cue for voting: you simply trust that ‘your’ party has the best policy program.
- it is a strong predictor of vote choice
- Downward trend of partisanship in U.S. and Britain – younger people are less likely to be partisan.

Question 31

why is partisanship receding

Answer 31

Voters are becoming more politically aware and don’t need a party cue.

Increased media coverage and social media have cross-pressured voters.

Voters are disillusioned with parties.

Question 32

performance evaluations (vote choice)

Answer 32

voters now focus more on performance.
voters reward incumbents for good performance in office and punish them for poor performance.

Question 33

how can economic performance be judged

Answer 33

Sociotropic: perceptions of the countries economic state.

Egotropic: “pocketbook” perceptions

Question 34

ideology and policy preferences (vote choice)

Answer 34

Voters select the candidate or party who is closest to them with regard to ideology or policy positions.

In Finland (PR system), parties are more spread out than U.K. (non-PR system)

voters are typically predicted to pick the party that maximizes their ‘utility’

Question 35

proximity voting

Answer 35

people vote for parties in their ideological proximity.

Question 36

reasons for variation in voting choice across countries

Answer 36

partisanship
performance voting
strategic voting

Question 37

reasons for why partisanship varies across countries

Answer 37

• Porprotional representation
• Federalism
• Compulsory voting
• Parliamentarism

Question 38

why performance voting varies across countries

Answer 38

Easier for voters to reward or punish parties when it is clear who is in charge.

Question 39

clarity of responsibility

Answer 39

the degree to which it is clear which party or parties are responsible for outcomes.

Question 40

where does clarity of responsiblity tend to be lower

Answer 40

• Where there are many parties and thus lots of coalition governments.
• Where there is federalism or bicameralism.

Question 41

how ‘strategic voting’ varies across countries

Answer 41

• Voters’ choices sometimes don’t follow any of the other models – due to strategic voting.
• most common in single-member plurality electoral systems.
• less likely under other electoral systems, as voters can cast a sincere vote without fearing it will be wasted.

Question 42

strategic voting

Answer 42

when a voter chooses a party they don’t prefer most.
voting for a party who ‘has a chance’ and is ideologically similar to your party of interest.

Question 43

why PR boosts partisanship

Answer 43

people vote directly for parties.

Question 44

why Federalism boosts partisanship

Answer 44

frequent elections mean citizens are exposed to campaigns and accompanying news reports about parties more frequently.

Question 45

why compulsory voting boosts partisanship

Answer 45

reinforces party identification at each election.

Question 46

why Parliamentarism boosts partisanship

Answer 46

legislators maintain party discipline and present the party to the electorate as a unified entity.