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The Differential Effects of Stress on Voter Turnout
Author(s) -
Hassell Hans J. G.,
Settle Jaime E.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/pops.12344
Subject(s) - politics , stressor , turnout , presidential election , differential (mechanical device) , social psychology , differential effects , psychology , stress (linguistics) , voting , presidential system , political process , political science , voter turnout , voting behavior , demographic economics , political economy , sociology , economics , clinical psychology , law , medicine , linguistics , philosophy , engineering , aerospace engineering
While everyone deals with stressful situations on a daily basis, individuals have different behavioral reactions to that stress. We argue that life stress also affects individuals’ political behavior, but this effect is contingent on their past political involvement. While individuals familiar with and engaged in the political process are unaffected when confronted with stress in life, individuals who are not routinely involved in the electoral process are more likely to disengage from politics. To test the differential effects of stress on the likelihood of political involvement, we fielded two experiments, one preceding the U.S. presidential election of 2012 and the second preceding the 2013 municipal election in a small Midwestern American town. We find that when triggered to consider life stressors unrelated to politics, individuals without a history of past participation in politics are less likely to vote while individuals who are habitual voters are unaffected.