What Are The Factors That Influence Our Political Vote?
Our political system bases a large part of its functioning on democracy, so that the representatives of the main chambers (congress and senate) are indirectly elected by the vote of the citizens through the lists of candidates which supplement the lists of the parties. These politicians will have the responsibility of representing our interests, of which they are the custodians.
The question we ask ourselves is: what causes us to prefer to be represented by some and not by others? The simplest answer would be, as we said before, to choose those which we believe best represent our interests. However, if we delve a little deep into the subject, we will realize that the answer is not that simple …
Social political psychology has been tasked with broadly investigating the factors that influence the direction of our political vote . Studies show us some striking data: it seems that voting stability and party identification are what determines our political vote. Ideology hardly seems to matter when we compare its influence to that of these two factors.
The stability of the political vote
One of the highlights of voting behavior is its temporal stability. We can observe that when a person has voted for a political party, he votes again for the same party in the next elections. This stability is generally maintained regardless of the political tendency of the party, the candidate and the type of elections (national or regional).
While the vast majority of people are consistent in their vote, others are not. What factors influence the stability of the political vote? Studies show that “right-wingers” change their vote less. On the other hand, to continue in the separation between “people of the right” and “people of the left”, we can see that it is easier to change the vote for parties that are closer to the ideology for which we had previously voted on. In other words, it is more likely that people who voted for a “right-wing party” in the last election will continue to vote for that same party or for another “right” one. It is the same with the “left parties”.
These results make us understand that what lies behind the stability of the vote is a process of political socialization. A process by which parties obtain loyal members despite the changes: the tradition of the party’s political ideology carries more weight than the specific program they present in certain elections. A very important concept called party identification also influences this political socialization.
Party identification
Partisan identification is defined as a psychological bond between an individual and a political party involving a sense of group identity. Through various methods, such as the use of symbols, hymns and group events, parties manage to create in their constituents a sense of unity so strong that it transcends intra-group ideological differences.
However, how important is partisan identification with the ideology of the individual when it comes to defining the vote? A study was conducted in Spain in 2009 to determine what level of ideology individuals shared with their political party. The results are very surprising. In the case of PSOE and PP voters, the latter share less than 50% of their party’s ideology. In the case of UI, the percentage increases to 61%.
These data show us that party voters do not share the majority of their party’s interests or ideology. How is it possible to identify with a party under such conditions? The answer lies in the powerful propaganda mechanisms of the parties, which seek to show empathy with the people in order to lastly obtain a feeling of belonging to their group, with a view to ultimately obtaining their vote in the next elections.
The political responsibility of the citizen
These data are surprising to say the least, since the ideology of the voters does not reach Parliament. These studies show us a panorama in which political parties capture individuals, and generate in them a group identification more typical of football teams than political identification. This results in a congress which does not represent the population, and will therefore conduct policies that go against the interests of the latter.
Political education is undoubtedly one of the best ways to change this panorama. An education that allows us to properly understand the policies and laws that are implemented and how they affect us, at the same time increasing the critical thinking about the option voted and the applicable punishment for non-compliance with the program electoral. The very ones who appear dead today even before they are presented.
Although policy measures seldom produce immediate change and many of their effects are diffuse, they are still important as they mark the direction and manner of running the country. Democracy and universal suffrage are a success that took several centuries and a lot of bloodshed. I ls now require the active and intelligent citizen involvement in order to function correctly. From you, me and all those who have the right to vote.
Our thoughts Sometimes we think there is nothing we can do to change our life. Fate is not all mapped out, so take the risk of making a mistake …
