When Ballot Issues Matter: Social Issue Ballot Measures and Their Impact on Turnout

Biggers, Daniel R.

doi:10.1007/s11109-010-9113-1

Cited by 34 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…In our sample, no other issue came as close to influencing the vote of either age group as did social issues. Indeed, no other ballot measure is more motivating to any voter than one based on a social issue (Biggers, 2011). Social issues influenced the votes of LGBT younger adults (75.7%) slightly more than they did older (67.6%), although not significantly so.…”

Section: Social Issues Votingmentioning

confidence: 92%

Age Differences in LGBT Attitudes Toward Marriage Equality

Maccio

DeRosa

Wilks

et al. 2014

ASW

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The purpose of this study was to compare attitudes of older versus younger lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals regarding marriage equality. Data were collected via self-report questionnaires from 350 LGBT adults in a mid-size city in the southern United States. Older and younger LGBT cohorts did not differ significantly in voter registration, political party affiliation, awareness of LGBT political issues, or voting on social issues. Older LGBT adults were less likely to find same-sex marriage important. Yet, age cohorts did not differ significantly on legalizing same-sex marriage. Social work implications are discussed regarding this policy area.

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Section: Social Issues Votingmentioning

confidence: 92%

Age Differences in LGBT Attitudes Toward Marriage Equality

Maccio

DeRosa

Wilks

et al. 2014

ASW

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“…Compared to non-morally charged policies, decisions on liberalizing or restricting moral policies are often more aligned to the prevailing public opinion (Camobreco and Barnello 2008; Mooney and Lee 2000; Mooney and Schuldt 2008). Consequently, moral issues frequently find their way onto the ballot, thereby leaving the decision process to the public (Biggers 2011). Politicians can easily withdraw from these highly conflictual issues and avoid playing a zero sum game with their voters (Tolbert et al 2005).…”

Section: Conflicts Of Basic Values – Moral Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The information provided by these surveys allows us to investigate individual political behavior concerning moral issues in great depth. By going beyond the effect of moral issues on voter turnout (Biggers 2011; Tolbert et al 2005), we not only further the research on moral policies and direct democracy, but also investigate the origins of liberalized moral policies reached through direct democratic means and what role the religious factor plays in decision-making.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moral Politics: The Religious Factor in Referenda Voting

Rapp

Traunmüller

Freitag

et al. 2014

Politics and Religion

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This article combines the research strands of moral politics and political behavior by focusing on the effect of individual and contextual religiosity on individual vote decisions in popular initiatives and public referenda concerning morally charged issues. We rely on a total of 13 surveys with 1,000 respondents each conducted after every referendum on moral policies in Switzerland between 1992 and 2012. Results based on cross-classified multilevel models show that religious behaving instead of nominal religious belonging plays a crucial role in decision making on moral issues. This supports the idea that the traditional confessional cleavage is replaced by a new religious cleavage that divides the religious from the secular. This newer cleavage is characterized by party alignments that extend from electoral to direct democratic voting behavior. Overall, our study lends support to previous findings drawn from American research on moral politics, direct democracies, and the public role of religion.

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“…Issues like same‐sex marriage, immigration, and abortion are some of the most polarizing topics in American political debate, creating deep moral conflict among the public. These types of moralized issues tend to be salient and technically simple (Mooney & Schuldt, ), leading to increased political participation (Biggers, ; Nicholson, ). But they are also socially divisive.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Emotional Frames Moralize and Polarize Political Attitudes

Clifford

2018

Political Psychology

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Moralized issues, such as abortion and same‐sex marriage, are some of the most polarizing and divisive issues in politics. These topics motivate political engagement but present a barrier to democratic resolution. Yet we know little about how some issues become “moral issues” and others do not. In this article, I argue that exposure to persuasive frames, particularly those eliciting anger and disgust, serves to moralize and polarize public opinion. I test these hypotheses across three experiments on emerging debates over food politics. The results consistently show that persuasive frames increase issue moralization and, in turn, facilitate polarization. A panel analysis demonstrates that the effect of a single exposure lasts at least two weeks. Mediation analyses suggest that feelings of disgust and anger help explain how persuasive frames moralize political attitudes, while anger alone seems to explain the polarizing effects of framing. Overall, the findings provide new insight into framing, emotion, and the development of moral issues.

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When Ballot Issues Matter: Social Issue Ballot Measures and Their Impact on Turnout

Cited by 34 publications

References 44 publications

Age Differences in LGBT Attitudes Toward Marriage Equality

Age Differences in LGBT Attitudes Toward Marriage Equality

Moral Politics: The Religious Factor in Referenda Voting

How Emotional Frames Moralize and Polarize Political Attitudes

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