POLS 2130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Multivariate Analysis, Voting Behavior, Social Psychology

• School: University of Windsor
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLS 2130
• Professor: Black Roberts

Document Summary

Index of political predisposition: measurement of why people vote. Utility: whats in it for me, who benfits. Cleavages: regional, religious, urban-rural, city suburb, class gender gap. Rational choice models: consumer preference model: voters choose between brands that are advertised. Turns out voters have brand loyalty so adverting has little impact on choice: sociological model: the strongest indicators of vote choice were. 70% of respondents voted like others with similar characteristics. Based on the 1940 study of voting in erie county. Voting behavior that mimicked the marketplace: voters voted for their favorite party like they were purchasing a product. Does not leave much room for politics. Candidates and issues lay a small role in vote choice. Initial studies loomed at sociological items such as. These items are still seen in todays studies including the gidengil: social- psychological model. The problem with the sociological variables is that they tend to explain very little of the vote.