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Getting Lost on the Way to the Party: Ambivalence, Indifference, and Defection with Evidence from Two Presidential Elections

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  • Judd R. Thornton

Abstract

type="main"> Building on work noting the difference between ambivalence and indifference, and long-standing theories of partisanship, this article seeks to examine the extent to which ambivalence and indifference differ in their impact on the likelihood of individuals defecting from their party when voting. Examining two national surveys, the voting behavior of ambivalent, indifferent, and one-sided individuals are compared. It is shown that indifferent individuals are the most likely to defect from their partisanship and vote for the other major party or a third party and one-sided the least. Those who are indifferent toward the parties are distinct from those with one-sided or ambivalent evaluations, and this difference leads to a greater likelihood of voting against one's party in presidential elections.

Suggested Citation

  • Judd R. Thornton, 2014. "Getting Lost on the Way to the Party: Ambivalence, Indifference, and Defection with Evidence from Two Presidential Elections," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(1), pages 184-201, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:95:y:2014:i:1:p:184-201
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00940.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kelley, Stanley & Mirer, Thad W., 1974. "The Simple Act of Voting," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 68(2), pages 572-591, June.
    2. Steven Greene, 2004. "Social Identity Theory and Party Identification," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 85(1), pages 136-153, March.
    3. Campbell, Angus & Miller, Warren E., 1957. "The Motivational Basis of Straight and Split Ticket Voting," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 51(2), pages 293-312, June.
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    1. Cigdem Kentmen-Cin, 2017. "What about Ambivalence and Indifference? Rethinking the Effects of European Attitudes on Voter Turnout in European Parliament Elections," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(6), pages 1343-1359, November.

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