New estimates reveal a counterintuitive relationship between ideological conflict and voter turnout.
Data & Methods
- Analyzed citizen preferences alongside candidate platform choices in U.S. House/Senate races
- Used robust empirical specifications across diverse scenarios
Key Findings
- Greater ideological differences decrease voter turnout, especially among less sophisticated citizens
- Ideology/partisanship does not explain this relationship
This Means That:
These findings challenge established theories about political participation and demonstrate how electoral choices influence mass behavior in unexpected ways.
