Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Political Science
Abstract
The sporadic and often dismal voter turnout of the American public is often regarded as a hole in the democratic model. This research examines the influence of an individual‘s attitude about their government and how it affects their voting habits. Literature in the past has isolated demographic makeup as the reason for nonvoting, i.e. education or income. However, the nonvoter‘s state of mind in relation to their general feelings toward government and the social contract has been broadly overlooked. A new measure of an individual‘s attitude toward government was created using a collection of survey questions centered on a person‘s feelings toward their government and legislators. The survey questions come from the American National Election Study (ANES) and stretch from the year 2000 to 2008. The dependent variable describing the voting habits of those respondents is based on their voting participation in general elections and primary caucuses from the same period. The research will show that poorer governmental attitudes in individuals are associated with a lower voting turnout. Individuals with the most grievances about government are doing the least to change it.
Recommended Citation
McIver, Geoffrey N., "Nonvoters: Doing Nothing to Change the Government They Hate" (2011). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 127.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/127
Included in
American Politics Commons, American Studies Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Public Affairs Commons
Comments
No advisor listed.