How Voters Decide: Crash Course Government and Politics #38

Summary

In this episode of Crash Course Government and Politics, Craig explores the factors influencing American voter decisions, emphasizing party loyalty, candidate characteristics, and issue positions. He highlights that party affiliation is often the strongest predictor of voting behavior, shaped by psychological attachments and social backgrounds. Candidate traits, including race, gender, and personality, also play significant roles. Additionally, voters engage in retrospective and prospective voting based on candidates' past performances and projected future actions. Despite the importance of informed decision-making, many voters remain unaware of candidates' positions, making party loyalty a dominant force in American elections.

Takeaways

• 😀 Voter decision-making is influenced by multiple factors, some of which are conscious and others subconscious.
• 😀 Political scientists identify three main factors influencing voter behavior: party loyalty, candidate characteristics, and issue stance.
• 😀 Party loyalty is the largest predictor of voting behavior, with about 90% of voters aligning with a political party.
• 😀 Many voters develop their party loyalty based on family influence, especially during their formative years.
• 😀 Candidate characteristics, including race, ethnicity, religion, and gender, can significantly affect voter preferences.
• 😀 Geographic affiliation can enhance a candidate's appeal, although it may not always be decisive in voting outcomes.
• 😀 Voter's social background may lead them to prefer candidates they perceive as similar to themselves, though this is not always the case.
• 😀 Voters often prioritize candidates' personalities, such as their reputation for honesty and decisiveness.
• 😀 Issue voting includes retrospective (based on past performance) and prospective (based on expected future actions) voting, both of which require informed decisions.
• 😀 Despite the potential importance of issues, party affiliation often dominates the decision-making process due to low levels of voter information.

Q & A

What are the three main factors that influence how a person will vote?

The three main factors are party loyalty, candidate characteristics, and the issues involved in an election.

Why is party loyalty considered a strong predictor of voting behavior?

Party loyalty is strong because many voters identify with a political party, often developed from psychological attachments, family influences, and past experiences with political leaders.

How does the influence of parents affect a person's political party identification?

Parents can significantly shape their children's political identities, leading some to adopt their party out of loyalty or in rebellion against their parents' views.

What is the 'Bradley Effect'?

The Bradley Effect refers to the phenomenon where voters may express support for a candidate of a different race in polls but do not vote for them in the election, suggesting personal biases can influence actual voting behavior.

How do candidate characteristics influence voter decisions?

Voters often prefer candidates whose personal traits align with their preferences, such as race, gender, and geography. Personal characteristics like honesty and energy can also play a crucial role.

What is the difference between retrospective and prospective voting?

Retrospective voting is based on a candidate's past performance, while prospective voting involves evaluating a candidate's potential future performance.

What are spatial and valence issues in the context of voting?

Spatial issues involve a range of opinions existing on a spectrum (e.g., minimum wage), whereas valence issues are universally preferred values that all voters agree upon (e.g., government transparency).

Why might issues be less significant in voter decision-making?

Issues may be less significant because many voters are not well-informed, leading them to rely more on party affiliation and candidate characteristics rather than specific policy positions.

What impact does geography have on candidate perception?

Geography can influence voter perceptions, as candidates who identify strongly with a region may gain favor, although sometimes star power or other characteristics can outweigh geographical ties.

What is the importance of an informed electorate in elections?

An informed electorate is crucial because greater voter knowledge about candidates and issues can lead to more substantial consideration of candidate characteristics and policy issues in their voting decisions.