A meso-level analysis of the effect of perceived economic conditions of a voter on vote choice in a local election in Richland County
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Psychology and Sociology
Presentation Type
Mentored
Oral Presentation Award
2nd Place
Written Paper Award
3rd Place
Abstract
The issue of economic voting and pocketbook voting has been well documented by many studies over the years, as it is a key part of the systems of democratic accountability and democratic system. The purpose of the study conducted was to provide data in the not-well documented local level of economic voting. The hypothesis was that, at the local level, there would be a significant relationship between vote choice (incumbent vs. challenger) and economic perception. The procedure was that three bipartisan polling stations were surveyed with a two-question survey, the two questions being about their perception on the economy in the last year and their vote choice on a close local election. The overall data supported the hypothesis, as a chi-square test yielded χ²(4, n=388)=28.19, p<0.0001. A further Cramer’s V test yielded a statistic of 0.1906, indicating a relatively weak relationship. Therefore, it was concluded that at the local level, economic perception does have an effect on vote choice, thus supporting the hypothesis
Recommended Citation
Bidwell, Anson T., "A meso-level analysis of the effect of perceived economic conditions of a voter on vote choice in a local election in Richland County" (2015). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 5.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2015/all/5
Start Date
4-11-2015 1:30 PM
End Date
4-11-2015 1:45 PM
A meso-level analysis of the effect of perceived economic conditions of a voter on vote choice in a local election in Richland County
The issue of economic voting and pocketbook voting has been well documented by many studies over the years, as it is a key part of the systems of democratic accountability and democratic system. The purpose of the study conducted was to provide data in the not-well documented local level of economic voting. The hypothesis was that, at the local level, there would be a significant relationship between vote choice (incumbent vs. challenger) and economic perception. The procedure was that three bipartisan polling stations were surveyed with a two-question survey, the two questions being about their perception on the economy in the last year and their vote choice on a close local election. The overall data supported the hypothesis, as a chi-square test yielded χ²(4, n=388)=28.19, p<0.0001. A further Cramer’s V test yielded a statistic of 0.1906, indicating a relatively weak relationship. Therefore, it was concluded that at the local level, economic perception does have an effect on vote choice, thus supporting the hypothesis
