- Access through your institution
Highlights
•
Social class is hypothesized to be one factor informing political attitudes and actions.
•Research suggests that social class informs political attitudes toward economic policies.
•However, economic policy attitudes may not correlate with complementary political behavior.
Socioeconomic status is hypothesized to be one factor informing political attitudes and actions. Presumably, this relationship is rooted in economic self-interest, with individuals preferring policies that would benefit them financially. In addition, these economic policy preferences are assumed to translate into political action. However, the relationships between socioeconomic status and political attitudes and behavior, as well as the psychological mechanisms associated with those relationships, are not straightforward. Here, we briefly review the current state of knowledge on the relationships between socioeconomic status and political attitudes and behavior. Overall, the research suggests that while socioeconomic status informs political attitudes toward economic policies, these attitudes may not correlate with complementary political behavior.
Cited by (0)
© 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Access options
Buy single article
Instant access to the full article PDF.
39,95 €
Price includes VAT (Korea(Rep.))
References
Alexander, Herbert E. 1984 Financing Politics: Money, Elections, and Political Reform. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press.
Google Scholar
Alford, Robert R. andRoger Friedland 1975 “Political participation and public policy.” In A. Inkeles, J. C. Coleman, and N. Smelser (eds.), Annual Review of Sociology:429–479. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews, Inc.
Google Scholar
Allen, Howard W. andKay Warren Allen 1981 “Vote fraud and data validity.” In J. M. Chubb, W. H. Flanigan, and N. H. Zingale (eds.), Analyzing Electoral History: 153–193. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Google Scholar
Beeghley, Leonard 1983 Living Poorly in America. New York: Praeger.
Google Scholar
Berg, Larry, Larry Eastland andSherry Jeffe 1981 “Characteristics of large campaign contributors.” Social Science Quarterly 62(September):409–423.
Google Scholar
Boyd, Richard W. 1981 “Decline of U. S. voter turnout: Structural explanations.” American Politics Quarterly 9(April):133–159.
Google Scholar
Burnham, Walter Dean 1980 “The appearance and disappearance of the American voter.” In Richard Rose (ed.), Electoral Participation:35–73. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Google Scholar
Coser, Lewis A. 1967 Continuities in the Study of Social Conflict. New York: Free Press.
Google Scholar
Dahl, Robert A. 1967 Pluralist Democracy in the United States: Conflict and Consent. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Google Scholar
Durkheim, Emile 1982 The Rules of Sociological Method. New York: Free Press.
Google Scholar
Executive Office of the President 1984 Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal 1985. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Google Scholar
Gamson, William A. 1975 The Strategy of Social Protest. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press.
Google Scholar
Graber, Doris 1976 “Press and TV as opinion sources in presidential campaigns.” Public Opinion Quarterly 40(Fall):285–303.
Google Scholar
Green, Mark andMichael Waldman 1982 Who Runs Congress? 4th ed. New York: Dell.
Google Scholar
Howell, Joseph 1973 Hard Living on Clay Street. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Google Scholar
Jensen, Richard 1971 The Winning of the Midwest. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Google Scholar
Jewell, Michael E. andDavid M. Olson 1978 American State Political Parties and Elections. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press.
Google Scholar
Karnig, A. D. andB. O. Walter 1977 “Municipal elections: Registration, incumbent success, and voter participation.” In Municipal Year Book:41–85. Washington, DC: International City Management Association.
Google Scholar
Lawrence, William J. andStephen Leeds 1978 An Inventory of Federal Income Transfer Programs. White Plains, NY: Institute for Socioeconomic Studies
Google Scholar
Merton, Robert K. 1968 Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: Free Press.
Google Scholar
Miller, Warren E., Arthur H. Miller andEdward J. Schneider 1980 American National Election Studies Data Sourcebook, 1952–78. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Google Scholar
National Central Bureau of Statistics 1981 Statistical Abstract of Sweden. Stockholm: National Central Bureau of Statistics.
Google Scholar
Olsen, Marvin E. 1982 Participatory Pluralism. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Google Scholar
Orum, Anthony M. 1983 Introduction to Political Sociology. 2d ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Google Scholar
Powell, G. Bingham 1980 “Voter turnout in thirty democracies: Partisan, legal, and socioeconomic differences.” In Richard Rose (ed.), Electoral Participation:5–34. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Google Scholar
Public Voice for Food and Health Policy 1985 Who's Milking Whom? Dairy Money Dairy Votes, Dairy Production. Washington, DC: Public Voice.
Google Scholar
Rosenstone, Steven J. andRaymond E. Wolfinger 1978 “The effect of registration laws on voter turnout.” American Political Science Review 72(March):22–45.
Google Scholar
Samuelson, Paul A. 1977 Economics. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Google Scholar
Shortridge, Ray M. 1981 “Estimating voter participation.” In J. M. Chubb, W. H. Flanigan, and N. H. Zingale (eds.), Analyzing Electoral History:137–151. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Google Scholar
Stack, Carol 1974 All Our Kin. New York: Harper.
Google Scholar
Stinchcombe, Arthur 1975 “Merton's theory of social structure.” In L. A. Coser (ed.), The Idea of Social Structure: Papers in Honor of Robert K. Merton:11–35. New York: Harcourt.
Google Scholar
1982 “Voting and registration in the election of November, 1980.” Current Population Reports, Series P-20, No. 320. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Google Scholar
1984 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1982–83. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney andNorman H. Nie 1972 Participation in America: Political Democracy and Social Equality. New York: Harper and Row.
Google Scholar
Weber, Max 1968 Economy and Society. New York: Bedminster Press.
Google Scholar
Williams, Robin M., Jr. 1977 Mutual Accommodation: Ethnic Conflict and Cooperation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Google Scholar
Wolfinger, Raymond E. andSteven J. Rosenstone 1980 Who Votes? New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Google Scholar
Yankelovich, Daniel 1973 A Study of the Registration Process in the United States. New York: Yankelovich, Inc.
Google Scholar
Zipp, John F., Richard Landerman andPaul Luebke 1982 “Political parties and political participation: A reexamination of the standard socioeconomic model.” Social Forces 60(June):1140–1153.
Google Scholar
Download references