TY - JOUR
T1 - Valence and spatial explanations for voting in the 2013 Australian election
AU - McAllister, Ian
AU - Sheppard, Jill
AU - Bean, Clive
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Australian Political Studies Association.
PY - 2015/4/3
Y1 - 2015/4/3
N2 - This article examines the 2013 Australian federal election to test two competing models of vote choice: spatial politics and valence issues. Using data from the 2013 Australian Election Study, the analysis finds that spatial politics (measured by party identification and self-placement on the left–right spectrum) and valence issues both have significant effects on vote choice. Spatial measures are more important than valence issues in explaining vote choice, however, in contrast with recent studies from Britain, Canada and the USA. Explanations for these differences are speculative, but may relate to Australia's stable party and electoral system, including compulsory voting and the frequency of elections. The consequently high information burden faced by Australian voters may lead to a greater reliance on spatial heuristics than is found elsewhere.
AB - This article examines the 2013 Australian federal election to test two competing models of vote choice: spatial politics and valence issues. Using data from the 2013 Australian Election Study, the analysis finds that spatial politics (measured by party identification and self-placement on the left–right spectrum) and valence issues both have significant effects on vote choice. Spatial measures are more important than valence issues in explaining vote choice, however, in contrast with recent studies from Britain, Canada and the USA. Explanations for these differences are speculative, but may relate to Australia's stable party and electoral system, including compulsory voting and the frequency of elections. The consequently high information burden faced by Australian voters may lead to a greater reliance on spatial heuristics than is found elsewhere.
KW - Australia
KW - elections
KW - parties
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84930575455&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10361146.2015.1005005
DO - 10.1080/10361146.2015.1005005
M3 - Article
SN - 1036-1146
VL - 50
SP - 330
EP - 346
JO - Australian Journal of Political Science
JF - Australian Journal of Political Science
IS - 2
ER -