Turnout in Recent American Presidential Elections

The well-noted decline in the participation of Americans in presidential elections since the early sixties reversed in the 1984 election, although only slightly. An improved "national mood" appears to have contributed little to increasing turnout. However, the gap in participation between...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political behavior 1989-03, Vol.11 (1), p.57-79
Main Author: Uhlaner, Carole Jean
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apathy
Civic duty
Constant coefficients
ELECTION
Elections
ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Hispanics
POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
Political campaigns
Political elections
POLITICAL MOVEMENT
Political Participation
Political partisanship
United States of America
UNITED STATES, 1945 TO PRESENT
Voter registration
Voter turnout
VOTING
Voting age
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Summary:The well-noted decline in the participation of Americans in presidential elections since the early sixties reversed in the 1984 election, although only slightly. An improved "national mood" appears to have contributed little to increasing turnout. However, the gap in participation between the wealthier and poorer widened, while that between men and women narrowed and reversed direction, and belonging to a group associated with an identity affected participation more powerfully. Taken together, these findings indicate shifts in patterns of turnout corresponding to shifts in the lines of politicized interests. Analysis of the participation of blacks finds little evidence for electoral mobilization by the Rainbow Coalition in 1984.
ISSN:0190-9320
1573-6687
DOI:10.1007/BF00993367