Inequality and voter turnout: Examining the impact of subjective experiences of inequality on voter abstention

Abstract

Voter turnout has experienced a dramatic decline in most Western Democracies over the last 60 years and New Zealand is no exception. Though over 91% of the electorate voted in New Zealand‘s General Election in 1954, nearly a third of the population abstained from voting in 2011. Notably, income inequality has been identified as a key player in this trend. However, the psychology underlying the relationship between inequality and voter turnout has received limited attention. This thesis addresses this oversight in two studies using two nationally representative datasets. Study 1 (N = 3101) uses latent profile analysis to identify response profiles underlying voters‘ attitudes towards inequality, and then shows how these distinct response patterns predict beliefs about the government and voting behaviour. Results show that a response profile reflecting strong opposition to inequality, a lack of sympathy towards the economically disadvantaged, and limited support for government welfare is associated with (a) higher perceptions of government corruption, (b) lower beliefs in the efficacy of voting, and (c) a reduced likelihood of having voted in the 2011 General Election. Study 2 (N = 4924) examines the indirect effect of income on voter turnout through perceptions of both individual and group-based relative deprivation. As expected, income was positively correlated with voter turnout. Follow up analyses, however, indicated that this relationship was partially mediated by perceptions of relative deprivation. Results from both studies demonstrate the significance of the subjective experience of inequality with respect to voting behaviour, as well as the importance of integrating psychological perspectives into models of voter turnout. Keywords: Relative Deprivation, Latent Profile Analysis, Voter Turnout, Inequality