Ambivalence and Attitude Change in Vote Choice: Do Campaign Switchers Experience Internal Conflict?

Abstract

Vote choice is arguably the most fundamental dependent variable in political science. First, the decision is quite momentous: in a representative democracy, voters are responsible for selecting the individuals who control government and drive the elaboration of public policy. Second, by the sheer volume, variety, and importance of work on the topic, vote choice is a dominant concern of political studies. From this large body of research, the discipline has achieved a rather impressive understanding of the determinants of vote choice. We essentially know why a person favors one party over another, and there is widespread agreement as to the list of key ingredients in the vote choice recipe (party identification, leader evaluations, values, issue positions, economic conditions, strategic preoccupations, and a handful of others). We may argue about the relative proportions of each main ingredient or the relevance of secondary seasonings, but the central dimensions of the recipe are evident.

Keywords

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