Too many choices at the ballot box has an unexpected effect on voters - New study suggests that the abundance of candidates in elections leads to higher rates of ballot rolloff, a situation where voters participate in an election but abstain from casting votes for some candidates on the ballot.

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#BallotBoxChoices #VoterBehavior #ElectionAbundance #BallotRolloff #CandidateOverload

When Republican governors expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (refundable tax credits for low- and mid-income workers), they are electorally rewarded by voters. Democratic governors are not rewarded, possibly because EITC beneficiaries are already predisposed to support Democrats.

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#EITC #TaxCredits #RepublicanGovernors #VoterBehavior #PoliticalStrategy

Fox News has shifted the ideology and partisan identity of Americans rightward over the period 2000–2020: "An increase of 0.05 rating points in Fox News viewership, induced by exogenous changes in channel placement, has increased Republican vote shares by at least 0.5 percentage points."

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#FoxNews #PartisanIdentity #PoliticalShift #VoterBehavior #MediaInfluence

Donald Trump viewed as higher in Dark Tetrad traits than Joe Biden | Study highlights how perceptions of dark tetrad traits—Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism—in politicians influence voter behavior, focusing on the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

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#DarkTetrad #VoterBehavior #TrumpBiden #PoliticalPsychology #Election2020

Higher social class voters prioritize competence and rely more on facial cues when judging politicians

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#SocialClass #PoliticalJudgment #VoterBehavior #FacialCues #CompetenceMatters

Accumulating wealth doesn’t make people more likely to vote Conservative

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#WealthAndVoting #PoliticalTrends #ConservativeParty #EconomicInfluence #VoterBehavior

Americans are more likely to support populist politicians when they find them entertaining 🎉. Leaders viewed as exciting, engaging, or attention-grabbing predicted support—more strongly for populist leaders like Donald Trump 🇺🇸 and Bernie Sanders 🌟 than non-populist figures like Joe Biden 🤝 or Mitt Romney.

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#Populism #EntertainmentPolitics #PoliticalEngagement #VoterBehavior #CharismaticLeadership

New study suggests voters respond more to feelings than facts. 🗳️📊 Study of 5 US presidential elections (2000-2016) found that emotional reactions—especially positive feelings toward one candidate over another—tend to have a larger effect on vote choice than rational evaluations based on ideology. 😊🤔

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#EmotionalVoting #ElectionStudy #VoterBehavior #PoliticalPsychology #FeelingsOverFacts

Voters of ethnic political parties (parties intended to champion one ethnic group) remain loyal to their party even when they receive little in terms of material welfare. They vote not just for material improvements but symbolic goods, such as seeing members of their ethnicity in positions of power. 🗳️👥✨

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#EthnicIdentity #PoliticalLoyalty #SymbolicGoods #VoterBehavior #CivicEngagement

New study of 10 years of data shows climate disasters like fires and floods only provide a temporary nudge in voting and beliefs. Personal experience is consistently outweighed by political identity and income proving that extreme weather is no substitute for strong political leadership.

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#ClimateDisasters #VoterBehavior #PoliticalIdentity #IncomeInfluence #LeadershipMatters

🗳️ Research published in Electoral Studies found that the Republican candidate saw electoral gains in U.S. counties with higher inflation rates during the 2024 presidential election, particularly in lower-income areas.

📊 This analysis, by political scientist Patrick Flavin of Baylor University, used estimated family budget data from the Economic Policy Institute to track local price increases, overcoming the lack of official county-level inflation data.

📈 A one standard deviation increase in inflation was linked to a 0.07 to 0.15 percentage point rise in vote share for the Republican candidate, with childcare and tax cost increases showing a positive correlation.

📉 Healthcare cost inflation, however, showed a negative correlation, with the candidate performing worse in counties experiencing higher medical cost increases.

#EconPolitics #ElectionAnalysis #VoterBehavior

Four decades of data show high-status voters, not the working class, are reshaping American politics

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#PoliticalScience #VoterBehavior #USPolitics

Voters use left and right political labels as mental shortcuts, not strict policy matches. This mismatch was especially common among people who identified as right-leaning. The data showed that 43% of self-identified right-leaning voters actually supported mostly left-leaning policies.

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#PoliticalPsychology #VoterBehavior #PolicyMismatch

* 🗳️ New study in *Public Opinion Quarterly* reveals voters use "left" and "right" labels as mental shortcuts to guess politicians' stances, even if their own views don't perfectly match.

* 📊 Research by Sarah Lachance and Clareta Treger surveyed 983 Canadian voters, finding 43% of self-identified right-leaning voters actually supported mostly left-leaning policies.

* 🧠 The findings support a "minimal theory" of ideological thinking, suggesting voters use labels to infer general candidate inclinations, not necessarily for a perfect policy alignment.

#PoliticalScience #VoterBehavior #Ideology

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Mental health policy is a major deciding factor for American voters, new study finds, especially to liberals, higher-income people, and those in relatively poor health.

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#MentalHealthPolicy #VoterBehavior #HealthPolicyNews

🧠 A 2024 study on the Cooperative Election Study found that 91% of respondents supported a proposal to improve mental health care access, with agreement increasing the likelihood of choosing a candidate by 27 percentage points.

📊 Mental health policy's importance to voter choice is significant, particularly for liberals, higher-income individuals, and those in poorer health, according to the study published in PLOS One.

📈 Survey data reveals broad public concern, with a 2022 KFF/CNN poll showing 90% of Americans believe there's a mental health crisis, and a 2024 Gallup poll indicating only 9% rate the U.S. health system highly for mental health care.

#MentalHealth #VoterBehavior #HealthcarePolicy

🗳️ Over 40% of Americans identify as independent voters, making them the largest segment of the electorate, yet their views are often misunderstood.

📊 Research published in American Politics Research found that most independent voters hold moderate political beliefs and desire open-mindedness over rigid party labels.

👩‍🔬 A study by Eveline Dowling, Nathan K. Micatka, and Caroline Tolbert analyzed millions of data points and found that over half of independent voters registered as moderate, challenging the idea they are secretive extremists.

🗣️ The public generally views independents as bridge-builders willing to consider opposing viewpoints, a perception shared by Democrats and Republicans, though independents themselves prioritize open-mindedness and accurate representation.

#Politics #VoterBehavior #ElectionReform

Voters spend greater mental energy defending politicians from their own party and finding faults in politicians from the opposing party when faced with news of criminal convictions.

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#PoliticalPsychology #CognitiveDissonance #VoterBehavior

🚗 Voters use nonpolitical lifestyle clues like favorite restaurants or cars to gauge a politician's stance, but only when formal political details are unavailable.

☕ In experiments, when political party information was omitted, lifestyle signals (e.g., owning a hunting store vs. an organic cafe) were as influential as explicit party labels in guiding voter decisions.

❌ Contradictory lifestyle signals (e.g., a Republican candidate with liberal habits) can negate a candidate's party advantage and confuse voters.

#PoliticalScience #VoterBehavior #USPolitics

Study identifies the values most strongly associated with rejecting antidemocratic politicians, offering new insight into why some voters resist leaders who challenge democratic norms.

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#DemocracyValues #AntiAuthoritarian #VoterBehavior