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The habit for voting, “civic duty” and travel distance

Author

Listed:
  • Tim Powlowski

    (University of Tübingen)

  • Dennis Coates

    (UMBC)

Abstract

There is a rich literature addressing the paradox of not voting and election turnout from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. By taking advantage of a unique dataset from an “experimental” setting, this paper is the first to estimate the utility that drives the “civic duty” or the habit for voting. Consistent with the general turnout literature, education level, marital status, household size, and distance all affect the persistence of voter participation.

Suggested Citation

  • Tim Powlowski & Dennis Coates, 2013. "The habit for voting, “civic duty” and travel distance," UMBC Economics Department Working Papers 13-05, UMBC Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:umb:econwp:1305
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    File URL: http://www.umbc.edu/economics/wpapers/wp_13_05.pdf
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    Keywords

    voting participation; election turnout; travel distance; travel cost.;
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