Factors that Influence Voter Behavior

Party Affiliation (psychological)

Party identification is the strongest predictor of how a person will vote Party loyalists are likely to vote for all of their party's candidates in any election This tendency has decreased recently as more people identify themselves as independents with no party affiliation More people are also willing to vote for some candidates from the opposing party, "splitting" their ticket

Sociological Influences

Includes a voter's personal qualities and their group affiliations Income (higher vote, Rep) Education (higher vote, Rep) Occupation (higher vote, Rep) Gender (less men vote, Rep) Age (higher vote, Rep) Religion (Protestant, Rep) Ethnicity (Not minority, Rep) Geography (Suburban, small cities, rural areas, Rep) Family (Rep family, means Rep vote) Every voter has several qualities that combine to influence their votes A majority of the following groups tend to vote Republican: • Voters with higher incomes (such as professional and business people) • Voters with higher levels of education • Older voters (though this has varied in the past 30 years) • Protestants A majority of the following groups tend to vote for Democrats: • Women (by a 5-10 percent margin) • African Americans (by large margins since the 1930s) • Latinos (this varies among Latino groups) • Catholics and Jews

Psychological Influences

Includes how a voter sees politics Political party identification Candidates and Key Issues

Independents (psychological)

It is estimated that from one fourth to one third of all voters are independents Independent voters once tended to be less concerned, less informed, and less active in politics than Democrats or Republicans In recent years, a rising number of independents are young people with above average levels of education, income, and job status

Candidates and Issues (psychological)

Short-term factors such as particular candidates or key issues can swing voters in any specific election The image projected by a candidate - personality, style, character, appearance, and ability - influences voters Emotional, publicized issues such as civil rights, war, scandals, or the economy can also sway voters

Geography (sociological)

Southerners once voted heavily Democratic, but now Republicans win many southern elections A majority of voters in big cities tend to vote for Democrats A majority of voters in the suburbs, small cities, and rural areas tend to vote Republican In general, family members tend to vote in similar ways