The Social Psychology of the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election

In: Analyses of social issues and public policy, Band 10, Heft 1, S. 171-181

Abstract

This article introduces the 16 articles appearing in the 2009 and 2010 volumes of Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy that were submitted in response to a call for papers on "The Social Psychology of the 2008 United States Presidential Election." The papers touch a wide array of election topics, comparing the backgrounds and values of voters and nonvoters, those voting for different candidates, and those who choose which candidates they support early vs. late during the campaign. These papers, together with several others on media representations of candidates, highlight the continuing presence of race in shaping political attitudes and preferences, and also emphasize the evolution of American prejudices in the election process, from overt rejection of individuals who are racially different, to qualified political support under certain circumstances. Other papers in the collection focus on the role of gender as well as race, and also on some of the many ways in which presidential elections reflect and shape the self‐concepts of American voters.