Where Do the Less Affluent Vote? The Effect of Neighbourhood Social Context on Individual Voting Intentions in England

Prisca Jöst

doi:10.1177/00323217211027480

Abstract

A widely accepted finding in the literature on political participation is that individuals living in poorer neighbourhoods are less likely to vote than those living in more affluent neighbourhoods. Yet, why some poor residents of the most deprived neighbourhoods are more likely to vote than others is still understudied. This article presents a new theoretical framework arguing that when they believe that most others vote in the neighbourhood, poor citizens are more likely to follow their example than wealthy citizens. To empirically test these claims, I develop a two-level multilevel model using survey data and the Index of Multiple Deprivation for England. My findings point to the higher importance of a social norm of voting for the political behaviour of poor individuals than wealthy individuals. Social norms define which behaviour is right and proper. They are enforced through social interactions with others.

Highlights

Research on political participation finds that individuals living in poorer neighbourhoods are less likely to vote than those living in more affluent neighbourhoods.1 This is problematic as it leads to an unequal representation of the interests of different socioeconomic groups in times of increasing social inequalities in many Western democracies
The coefficient is positive but not significant, meaning that the effect of neighbours’ perceived voting on the individual voting intention that we have found to be higher when living in more deprived neighbourhoods does not differ significantly between poorer and wealthier respondents
My findings indicate that compared with high-income individuals, low-income individuals, in general, show lower voting intentions

Summary

Introduction

Research on political participation finds that individuals living in poorer neighbourhoods are less likely to vote than those living in more affluent neighbourhoods. This is problematic as it leads to an unequal representation of the interests of different socioeconomic groups in times of increasing social inequalities in many Western democracies. Research on political participation finds that individuals living in poorer neighbourhoods are less likely to vote than those living in more affluent neighbourhoods.. Research on political participation finds that individuals living in poorer neighbourhoods are less likely to vote than those living in more affluent neighbourhoods.1 This is problematic as it leads to an unequal representation of the interests of different socioeconomic groups in times of increasing social inequalities in many Western democracies. Brady et al, 1995; Gallego, 2007; Verba et al, 1995) Provided that these differences in individual characteristics are sufficient to explain variation across communities, we should expect low-income individuals to be unlikely to participate in all contexts. There is considerable subnational variation when it comes to the engagement of less affluent individuals. In a nationally representative survey of the UK, the poor’s intention to vote – aggregated at the neighbourhood level and measured on an 11-point Likert-type scale – varies significantly between the different neighbourhoods, with an average of 7.3 and a standard deviation of 3.2.3 In this article, I investigate these contextual differences and aim to provide answers to the following research questions: Why are poorer individuals more likely to engage in political actions when living in some neighbourhoods but not in others? What characterises these social contexts?

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Conclusion