Towards an understanding of turnout at British general elections: Voluntary and involuntary abstention in 1992

Parliamentary Affairs

Volumn 50, Issue 2, 1997, Pages 263-291

  Johnston, R J ^a   Pattie, C J ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0007127239     PISSN: 00312290     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a028726     Document Type: Review

References (14)

1. On 'missing voters' see C.J. Pattie, D.F.L. Dorling, R.J. Johnston and D.J. Rossiter, 'Electoral Registration, Population Mobility and the Democratic Franchise: the Geography of Postal Voters, Overseas Voters and Missing Voters in Great Britain', International Journal of Population Geography, vol. 2, 1996.
2. See I. Crewe, T. Fox and J. Alt, 'Non-voting in British General Elections, 1966 - October 1974', in C. Crouch (ed.), British Political Sociology Yearbook 3 (Croom Helm, 1977).
3. D. Denver and G. Hands, 'Marginality and Turnout in British General Elections', British Journal of Political Science, vol. 4, 1974, and 'Marginality and Turnout in General Elections in the 1970s', British Journal of Political Science, vol. 15, 1985; also R.J. Johnston, C.J. Pattie and J.G. Allsopp, A Nation Dividing? (Longman, 1988).
4. D. Denver and G. Hands, 'Marginality and Turnout in British General Elections', British Journal of Political Science, vol. 4, 1974, and 'Marginality and Turnout in General Elections in the 1970s', British Journal of Political Science, vol. 15, 1985; also R.J. Johnston, C.J. Pattie and J.G. Allsopp, A Nation Dividing? (Longman, 1988).
5. D. Denver and G. Hands, 'Marginality and Turnout in British General Elections', British Journal of Political Science, vol. 4, 1974, and 'Marginality and Turnout in General Elections in the 1970s', British Journal of Political Science, vol. 15, 1985; also R.J. Johnston, C.J. Pattie and J.G. Allsopp, A Nation Dividing? (Longman, 1988).
6. The BES survey was boosted by its Scottish sub-sample: the weighted sample comprised 2855 individuals.
7. The classic work on rational choice theory is A. Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy (New York, 1957). For a recent evaluation see E. Overbye, 'Making a Case for the Rational, Self-regarding 'Ethical' Voter ... and Solving the Paradox of Not Voting in the Process', European Journal of Political Research, vol. 27, 1995.
8. The classic work on rational choice theory is A. Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy (New York, 1957). For a recent evaluation see E. Overbye, 'Making a Case for the Rational, Self-regarding 'Ethical' Voter ... and Solving the Paradox of Not Voting in the Process', European Journal of Political Research, vol. 27, 1995.
9. On local campaign activity and its effectiveness see C.J. Pattie, R.J. Johnston and E. Fieldhouse, 'Winning the Local Vote: the Effectiveness of Constituency Campaign Spending in Great Britain, 1983-1992', American Political Science Review, vol. 89, 1995.
10. See I. Crewe, 'Electoral Participation' in D. Butler, H. Penniman and A. Ranney (eds), Democracy at the Polls (Washington DC, 1981).
11. D.T. Studlar and S. Welch, 'The Policy Options Of British Non-voters: a Research Note', European Journal of Political Research, vol. 14, 1986.
12. Pattie, Dorling, Johnston and Rossiter, op. cit.
13. K. Swaddle and A. Heath, 'Official and Reported Turnout in the British General Election of 1987', British Journal of Political Science, vol. 19, 1989.
14. We report the results of chi-square analyses for four separate contrasts: (1) across all three categories; (2) between voluntary and involuntary abstainers; (3) between voters and voluntary abstainers; and (4) between voters and involuntary abstainers. if our expectations are valid, there should be many more significant differences reported under (2) and (3) than under (4).