One size doesn't fit all: Voter decision criteria heterogeneity and vote choice

Stubager, Rune; Seeberg, Henrik Bech; So, Florence

doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2017.12.002

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…For example, the fact that we did not find moderation while others did in other countries suggests that a country's specific context may play a role. Moreover, the distinct effect of the three issue considerations may vary across individuals with more politically sophisticated voters more willing and able to distinguish parties and issues on the three dimensions while the less sophisticated do not (see for an example: Stubager, Seeberg, & So, 2018). The conditional logit models do not allow for these variables to be included, but (if available) switching the dependent variable to electoral utilities could provide a solution in this regard.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Position, Competence, and Commitment: Three Dimensions of Issue Voting

Walgrave

Lefevere²,

Tresch

2019

International Journal of Public Opinion Research

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We investigate the impact of three issue-related party perceptions on people's vote choices. The positional dimension of issue voting holds that voters are more likely to prefer parties whose policy positions on issues come close to their own policy preferences. The competence dimension of issue voting implies that voters are more inclined to cast their ballot for parties that they see as more competent to tackle policy issues. The commitment dimension means that voters are more likely to prefer parties that they perceive as more committed to specific issues. Leveraging data from Belgium's two largest regions (Flanders and Wallonia), we find that all dimensions exert an effect on electoral choice: position has the strongest effect, followed by competence and commitment.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Position, Competence, and Commitment: Three Dimensions of Issue Voting

Walgrave

Lefevere²,

Tresch

2019

International Journal of Public Opinion Research

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“…Can less sophisticated voters make voting choices that are as reasonable as a highly sophisticated voter? The answer, we believe, is in research that argues that electorates are heterogeneous and use multiple decision-making processes (Bartle, 2005; Blumenstiel & Plischke, 2015; Stubager et al, 2018). We should not think of electoral choice as a closed-book exam where the voter should study and then independently make the right choice that matches their preferences.…”

Section: From Process To Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Representation Gap and Political Sophistication: A Contrarian Perspective

Dalton

2020

Comparative Political Studies

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Political behavior research persistently questions the ability of the average citizen to make voting choices that accurately represent their political views. We argue that voters’ choices should be judged by the outcome of the choices, and not the decision-making process. The representation gap measures the policy agreement between voters and their chosen party using data from the 2014 European Election Study and the Chapel Hill Experts Survey. We consider whether the political sophistication of individual voters affects agreement levels. Negative results are rarely reported widely—but they can be important. This study finds little evidence that political interest, education, information level or even party identification substantially affect the size of the representation gap. Less and more sophisticated citizens both find ways to make voting decisions that broadly match their opinions. The results yield a more positive view of the mass public, the electoral process, and democratic representation.

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“…regardless of whether party switch took place between wave 1 and wave 2 or between wave 2 and wave 3. Third, we test a model (in appendix F, table F1, model 3) with interaction terms between cumulative issue ownership and political sophistication, as knowledgeable citizens tend to use a greater variety of decision-making criterion (see Stubager et al, 2018). Yet the results do not show any moderation effect.…”

Section: U N C O R R E C T E D P R O O Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

The more the better? Cumulative issue ownership and intra-campaign party switching

Petitpas

Sciarini

2020

Electoral Studies

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We contribute to the literature on short term changes in voters' party preferences (or intra-campaign party switching), by advancing a factor that has been neglected so far: Voters' perceptions about parties' issue competence. We develop a model of party switching that includes both classic predictors and issue ownership considerations. Moreover, in contrast to the usual single issue ownership conception focusing on the party deemed most competent to solve the most important problem, we argue that voters base their party choice on their perceptions of parties' competence on a variety of issues, i.e. on cumulative issue ownership. We test our model on panel data from the 2015 Swiss election study. The change in competence perceptions appears as a strong predictor of party switching: The higher the increase in the number of issues on which voters see a party as most competent during the campaign, the higher their likelihood to switch to that party.

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One size doesn't fit all: Voter decision criteria heterogeneity and vote choice

Cited by 18 publications

References 38 publications

Position, Competence, and Commitment: Three Dimensions of Issue Voting

Position, Competence, and Commitment: Three Dimensions of Issue Voting

The Representation Gap and Political Sophistication: A Contrarian Perspective

The more the better? Cumulative issue ownership and intra-campaign party switching

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