Voting in Old and New Democracies

The study of the political attitudes and behavior of citizens in an election setting has been a central focus for analysts of democratic politics. Great advances have been made in understanding the determinants of voter choices in elections, especially in well-established democracies. Yet for this attention, there are substantial gaps in our understanding of voter attitudes and behavior. Where do voters get political information in election campaigns in contemporary democracies? What kind of political information is it, and what are its sources? How are voters' attitudes and behavior affected by their exposure to the stimuli and norms conveyed by that information? Established academic experts as well emerging scholars in the field present a sophisticated analysis that goes beyond voting to examine reactions to elections and their role in democratic politics. Unlike most studies that focus their attention on established democracies or countries exclusively within one world region, this book presents a rigorous and innovative analysis of voting in elections in both old and new democracies in 18 countries on five continents between 1992 and 2007.Including considerations of the integrity of the electoral process and respondents' understandings of the meaning of democracy, sociopolitical values and the influence of media, personal discussion, and organizational intermediaries are analyzed in great detail. Written in a clear and accessible style, Voting in Old and New Democracies significantly advances our understanding of citizen attitudes and behavior in election settings.