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Voter Decision Making

The Tensions of Personal Identity, Personal Ethics, and Personal Benefit

University of Tennessee

There are several models of voter decision making; however, three influential factors (personal identity, personal ethics, and personal benefit) in the decision-making process have received little scholarly attention. These factors are examined to underscore their importance to voters when making a selection for a leader. A longitudinal election scenario is used to measure the effects of these variables on the voting decisions of 143 college-aged respondents. As facts and circumstances change within the scenario, respondents are asked to indicate which candidate they support and why. In addition, a series of interval-level items are asked to measure the effect of the various factors. The rationales for voting for each candidate demonstrate how the three factors play a role in the decision-making process. Small but significant correlations are found to exist between the factors and the respondents’ voting behavior. Implications, limitations, and future research based on these findings are presented.

Key Words: voter decision making • personal identity • personal ethics • personal benefit

American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 49, No. 1, 63-77 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0002764205279427


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