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By reviewing the theoretical models that Paul F. Lazarsfeld used to guide his voting studies of the US electorate, & cumulative empirical findings that resulted from his research program, this article presents an example of how the study of social life can become a more cumulative empirical social science. Findings from studies of voting & social influence are organized by the psychological mechanisms & social variables affecting voting choices -- political predisposition, media exposure to campaign issues, interest in the campaign, & influence through opinion leaders. Statistical reanalysis reestablishes the importance of mass media exposure & political predisposition as determinants of high interest & participation, at least for the positive campaigns Lazarsfeld studied. 2 Tables, 46 References. Adapted from the source document.

In this brief analysis, we use a new dataset of two million voter registration records to demonstrate that gender, race, and age do not correlate with political participation in the ways that previous research has shown. Among Blacks and Latinos, women participate at vastly higher rates than men; many Blacks participate at higher rates than Whites; and the relationship between age and participation is both not linear and varies by race and gender. Survey research is unable to capture the true relationship between demographics and participation on account of survey bias and, more importantly, the non-linearity of effects. As a result, theories of participation, like the dominant resources-based models, have been built on faulty premises and tested with inadequate data. Our evidence calls for a renewed effort to understand election participation by utilizing large datasets, by being attentive to linearity assumptions, and by returning to theory.

If only our people had turned out! -- American voter turnout : a history and portrait -- A theoretical exploration of turnout and voting -- Turnout and partisan vote choice : over time and across states and districts -- Turnout and partisan vote choice : over time and within states and districts -- Congressional district results : a further look -- Why is the conventional wisdom wrong? -- If turnout isn't driving election swings, what is? -- Some final data and thoughts on the link between turnout and vote choice.

AbstractQuantitative research has been the dominant methodological approach used to study voting behaviour. There is an emerging recognition, however, that there are alternative ways of attempting to understand how voters decide. The academic preoccupation with measurement, reliability, validity and generalisability may obscure some of the findings that are uncovered by practitioners using qualitative research. Practitioners of politics, both in the USA and the UK, tend to utilise both methods when formulating policy and exploring voter attitudes towards these policies. This paper will review the arguments for each tradition and examine the apparent divergence of practitioner and academic political research. Finally, it will look at how both positivist and interpretivist methods can be utilised to complement each other when attempting to build a picture of voting behaviour. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications

"Strategic Voting Versus Sincere Voting" published on by Oxford University Press.

'This book provides a methodologically rigorous analysis that sheds new light on the young peoples' voting behaviour in Western Europe. A great reference for academics, practitioners, and students.' - Professor Alessandro Chiaramonte, University of Florence, Italy, & New York University, USA This book uses various concepts of 'age' to examine young people's voting behaviour in six European countries between 1981 and 2000. It addresses questions such as: what are the determinants of voting choices among young people, and to what extent are these factors different from those of adults? Through an innovative approach aimed at studying party choice with a strong empirical orientation, the author argues that age is less important in influencing voting choices than having been young and socialized to politics in a given historical period. Ultimately, values and political factors explain young people's voting choices more than social identities, which marks a change from previous generations. This book will appeal to students and scholars in comparative politics, electoral behaviour, party politics, and political sociology. Nicola Maggini is Research Fellow at the University of Florence, Italy, and a member of CISE (Italian Centre for Electoral Studies). He has published on Italian and international scientific journals and co-edited several volumes for the Dossier CISE series. His research focuses on socio-political attitudes and voting behaviour in a comparative perspective.

In this brief analysis, we use a new dataset of two million voter registration records to demonstrate that gender, race, and age do not correlate with political participation in the ways that previous research has shown. Among Blacks and Latinos, women participate at vastly higher rates than men; many Blacks participate at higher rates than Whites; and the relationship between age and participation is both not linear and varies by race and gender. Survey research is unable to capture the true relationship between demographics and participation on account of survey bias and, more importantly, the non-linearity of effects. As a result, theories of participation, like the dominant resources-based models, have been built on faulty premises and tested with inadequate data. Our evidence calls for a renewed effort to understand election participation by utilizing large datasets, by being attentive to linearity assumptions, and by returning to theory.

In this brief analysis, we use a new dataset of two million voter registration records to demonstrate that gender, race, and age do not correlate with political participation in the ways that previous research has shown. Among Blacks and Latinos, women participate at vastly higher rates than men; many Blacks participate at higher rates than Whites; and the relationship between age and participation is both not linear and varies by race and gender. Survey research is unable to capture the true relationship between demographics and participation on account of survey bias and, more importantly, the non-linearity of effects. As a result, theories of participation, like the dominant resources-based models, have been built on faulty premises and tested with inadequate data. Our evidence calls for a renewed effort to understand election participation by utilizing large datasets, by being attentive to linearity assumptions, and by returning to theory.

Numerous studies examine voting behavior based on the formal theoretical predictions of the spatial utility model. These studies model individual utility from the election of a preferred party or candidate as decreasing as the alternative deviates from one's ideal point, but differ as to whether this loss should be modeled linearly or quadratically. After advancing a theoretical argument for linear loss, this paper uses a wealth of data across 20 countries to empirically examine the predictive power of these two loss functions in terms of both voter choice and voter turnout. Results indicate that the linear loss function outperforms the quadratic loss function. The findings have important implications for theoretical scholars seeking to model voter behavior, for observational scholars, who must assign utility values across parties to individuals under study, and for experimental researchers, who must entice individuals with particular utility loss functions. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright holder.]