In: Psychology
the party-identification model
the sociological model
the rational-choice model
the dominant-ideology model.
Party-identification model
The earliest theory of voting behaviour, the party-identification model, is based on the sense of psychological attachment that people have to parties. Electors are seen as people who identify with a party, in the sense of being long-term supporters who regard the party as ‘their’ party. Voting is therefore a manifestation of partisanship, not a product of calculation influenced by factors such as policies, personalities, campaigning and media coverage. This model places heavy stress on early political socialization (see p. 178), seeing the family as the principal means through which political loyalties are forged. These are then, in most cases, reinforced by group membership and later social experiences.
Sociological model
The sociological model links voting behaviour to group membership, suggesting that electors tend to adopt a voting pattern that reflects the economic and social position of the group to which they belong. Rather than developing a psychological attachment to a party on the basis of family influence, this model highlights the importance of a social alignment, reflecting the various divisions and tensions within society. The most significant of these divisions are class, gender, ethnicity, religion and region. Although the impact of socialization is not irrelevant to this model, social-base ex planations allow for rationality insofar as group interests may help to shape party allegiances. For many analysts, the sociological model is best understood as an ‘interest plus socialization’ approach to voting (Denver, 2012). This has perhaps been clearest in relation to social class.
Rational-choice model
Rational-choice models of voting shift attention onto the individual, and away from socialization and the behaviour of social groups. In this view, voting is seen as a rational act, in the sense that individual electors are believed to decide their party pre ference on the basis of personal self-interest. Rather than being habitual, a manifestation of broader attachments and allegiances, voting is seen as essentially instrumental; that is, as a means to an end. Rational-choice models differ in that some, following the example of V. O. Key (1966), see voting as a retrospective comment on the party in power and how its performance has influenced citizen’s choice. Others, such as Himmelveit et al., (1985), portray.
Dominant-ideology model
Radical theories of voting tend to highlight the degree to which individual choices are shaped by a process of ideological manipulation and control. In some respects, such theories resemble the sociological model, in that voting is seen to reflect a person’s position in a social hierarchy. Where these theories differ from
the sociological model, however, is in emphasizing that how groups and individuals interpret their position depends on how it has been presented to them through education, by the government and, above all, by the mass media. (The influence of the media on political debate and party competition is examined in greater detail in Chapter 8.) voters as active, in the sense that they behave like consumers expressing a choice
amongst the available policy options.
7) . How, do you think, the killing of African-American George Floyd and the following violent demonstrations will affect the decisions of US citizens in the coming Presidential elections in November according to determinants of voting behavior?
Killing of George Floyd is a recent example of racism. Such an inhuman way of killing surprised the whole world and even the white people were confused seeing the brutality of the white police official. It is not the matter of election. It is the matter of mentality of the people. The black people stirred a great movement. In the movement there was not only the black people, but also the white people also participated there.
There must be some reflection in the. here the Trump administration may be stamped as anti- black racist administration. There will be the decline of supporters in the African Americans. But it is also true that the events like George Floyd is not new event. Many events took place like this and there was also the reflection of people's reaction in the vote.
But Americans are matured voters and they are not guided by any type of wrong decision. The irresponsibility and racial attitude of a police officer is not the result of the administration fault. Racism generates in a person hereditary. So the conscious voters will cast vote according to the work. Besides proper steps have been taken against the police officer and there is no support of the administration to such and event. Such type of incidents may happen anytime. But people see whether government take the proper steps. In this respect there would not be much effect in the vote.