Political Psychology & Voting Behaviour Prof. Dr. Shubhangi Dinesh Rathi (Prof. & HOD Political Science) Smt.P. K. Kotecha Mahila College, Bhusawal
Political Psychology & Voting Behaviour Prof. Dr. Shubhangi Dinesh Rathi (Prof. & HOD Political Science) Smt.P. K. Kotecha Mahila College, Bhusawal
Abstract:
For a voter, political psychology is important because he will understand the bearings of a good leader. ... Political psychology is important because it examines the variables affecting different types of political behaviour, such as vote choice, partisanship, and participation. In this paper focus influencing factors on voter’s behaviour. Today the idea of social media usage is drastically different from the media usage of an era ago. Voter’s behaviour is influenced by sociological & psychological factors which are discussed in this paper. Introduction: Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective. ... In essence political psychologists study the foundations, dynamics, and outcomes of political behavior using cognitive and social explanations. Voters are influenced by sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography, and family. – Voters are also influenced by psychological factors such as political party identification, specific candidates, and key issues. Meaning of Political Psychology: Political psychology is a thriving field of social scientific inquiry, with roots in political science and psychology and connections to a range of other social sciences, including sociology, economics, communication, business, education, and many other fields. Political psychologists attempt to understand the psychological underpinnings, roots, and consequences of political behaviour. Meaning of voting Behavior: Voting behavior is a form of electoral behavior. Understanding voters' behavior can explain how and why decisions were made either by public decision-makers, which has been a central concern for political scientists, or by the electorate. Political science and psychology Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective. ... In essence political psychologists study the foundations, dynamics, and outcomes of political behavior using cognitive and social explanations. Psychological Concept of Vote: There are many psychological concepts that explain why we vote and choose certain politicians. Today the idea of social media usage is drastically different from the media usage of an era ago. It as a source of information and think it to be reliable medium. Physical attractiveness is not the only factor that explains why specific candidates are more likely to win. People are strongly influenced by transformational leaders who are confident, have expertise, seem emotionally strong, trustworthy, optimistic, and action-focused. Political psychology involves the development of completely new theory to provide psychological accounts of political phenomena. Purpose of voting: Voting is a method for a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, to make a collective decision or express an opinion, usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holders of high office by voting. Affecting factors of voting behavior: Understand the sociological and psychological factors that affect voting and voter behavior. – Voters are influenced by sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography and family. They are dedicated to study the mental processes that dominate political judgments and decision-making. Following Factors Influencing Political Participation: • Psychological or cognitive traits: ... • Social environment: ... • Political environment: ... • Level of modernization and urbanization: ... • Political socialization: ... • Modes of participation: ... • Voting: ... • Campaign activities: Importance of Political Psychology: For a voter, political psychology is important because he will understand the bearings of a good leader. He can then compare the current leaders to an ideal leader and based upon that ranking, he can vote for the leader who is the idealist or the closest to an idealist. Political psychology is important because it examines the variables affecting different types of political behaviour, such as vote choice, partisanship, and participation. Knowing those factors help campaigners, and leaders develop strategies to drive societal changes. Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior: People vote for political parties. So, politics comes under the range of activities that psychologists study. Psychology has come up with a number of important insights that will boggle the minds of most readers here and beyond. Outlining these is probably the best way to illustrate how interconnected they are. In fact, in my view no psychologists should be more outspoken on a number of matter that will become clear. Influences on voting behavior: Voters are influenced by 1. Sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography, and family. 2. Voters are also influenced by psychological factors such as political party identification, specific candidates, and key issues. Social pressure on Voting Decision: Voting also marks our membership in a larger group. Social pressure has been found to be a major influence on many people’s decision to vote. People are often motivated to vote because they want to fit in. The electoral study is very pertinent to India which is the largest democracy in the world. India’s Constitution-Makers adopted the system o f parliamentary government as best suited to the genius of the people. A parliamentary government is sustained by electorate casting its votes freely at periodic General elections to choose between candidates normally representing rival political parties. Different Decision Criteria of Voters: Citizens use different decision criteria if they are called to exercise their right to vote in legislative, local elections or in a referendum. In national elections it is usually the norm that people vote based on their political beliefs. Local and regional elections differ, as people tend to elect those who seem more capable to contribute to their area. Promising Way of Voting Behaviour: The study of voting behaviour is highly promising in three ways. 1. The act of voting itself is considered as an overt form of political participation and objective manifestation of the political make-up of the voters. Each voter projects his ideology, political orientation, judgement and attitude and expectations is an effort to identify the most viable of the alternatives. 2. The account of election results objectively shows the numerical strength of the various political forces struggling for power and dominance in the constituency/state/country. 3. The voting preference can be used as a check against the 'hiding o f truth’ tendency among the respondents their ideologies and political attitudes Voting Behaviour in the Indian Context: In India also the voting behaviour of the people has undergone a tremendous change. Since independence, levels of political awareness and participation have risen among all segments of the population…” Political awareness is increasing even among the rural poor and illiterate populations. The main determinants of voting in India are the following: • Caste • Ideology of the political parties • Personality of the Candidates and their orientation • Age and gender of the candidates • Religion and Language • Sub-Nationalism • Money power • Effect of Illiteracy Psychological Impact on reducing Voting Age: There is an increase in the identification with political parties and leaders. Since the voting age is reduced to 18 years, even the college-going students get an opportunity to exercise their vote. With ‘each election, millions of new voters enter the political arena as active participants. Voting behaviour is a form of electoral behaviour. Understanding voters' behaviour can explain how and why decisions were made either by public decision-makers, which has been a central concern for political scientists or by the electorate. To interpret voting behaviour both political science and psychology expertise were necessary and therefore the field of political psychology emerged. Psychological effect on voting Behaviour: The differential psychological effect of several specific emotions have been studied on voting behaviour: Surprise – Recent research suggests that the emotion of surprise may magnify the effect of emotions on voting. Anger – Affective theory would predict that anger increases the use of generalized knowledge and reliance upon stereotypes and other heuristics. Anxiety – Affective intelligence theory identifies anxiety as an emotion that increases political attentiveness while decreasing reliance on party identification when deciding between candidates, thus improving decision-making capabilities. Fear – Studies in psychology has shown that people experiencing fear rely on more detailed processing when making choices. Recent changes in the determinants of voting behaviour even though, the above traditional determinants continue to shape the voting behaviour of voter. Emotional Appeals in Political campaigns: The use of emotional appeals in political campaigns to increase support for a candidate or decrease support for a challenger is a widely recognized practice and a common element of any campaign strategy. Campaigns often seek to install positive emotions such as enthusiasm and hopefulness about their candidate among party bases to improve turnout and political activism while seeking to raise fear and anxiety about the challenger. The big question, though, is which political party or alliance will succeed in creating the right narrative ahead of the 2019 parliamentary polls to attract the younger electorate. With the spread of 4G connectivity to rural India and cheaper smartphones, the 2019 battle is likely to be fought as much on phones as in the streets. Impact of Social Media on Younger Voters Behaviour: Today the idea of social media usage is drastically different from the media usage of an era ago. In 2014 Indian lok-Sabha elections, the social media platforms became a medium for Indian vote casters to find about the Prime Minister candidates. Use of Facebook and Twitter for sending messages to potential voters for their support – can positively affect only the younger persons possibility to cast a vote or it has affect on all age groups. Political opinion Polls: Many opinion polls are published during an election campaign. When the everyday punter sees or hears these estimates, many might believe that their fellow punters are indeed evenly split on their voting intentions. The effect of political opinion polls on the individual voter is a complex matter, not least because the accuracy of polls themselves is now a matter of serious debate, given problems of access to the voters. Conclusion: Lastly we will conclude that Political psychology is important because it examines the variables affecting different types of political behaviour. Voter’s background has the largest influence on that voter's decision. Voter background means the voter's social identity, such as economic class, ethnicity, gender, race and religious preference. Often, a candidate will purposely gear campaign messages to particular voters, using a theme that conveys sameness. Psychology of voting behaviour presence of social media in Indian politics and political campaigning, the influence on individual voter behaviour is limited. Voters are influenced by sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography and family. Today the idea of social media & opinion poll & social pressure are also influenced on voting behaviour.
References:
1. Political Psychology: Key Readings: edited by John T. Jost, Jim Sidanius; Published in Great Britan by Psycology Press: 2004
2.Political Psychology: New Explorations: edited by Jon A. Krosnick, I-Chant A. Chiang, Tobias H. Stark; Routledge Taylor & Fransis Group New York & London: First Pub. 2017
3. Determinants of Voting Behavior in India 20 Shares First Published: March 27, 2016 | Last Updated:March 27, 2016 Voting behavior reflect the ways
4. https://esource.dbs.ie/han 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_psychology
Abstract:
For a voter, political psychology is important because he will understand the bearings of a good leader. ... Political psychology is important because it examines the variables affecting different types of political behaviour, such as vote choice, partisanship, and participation. In this paper focus influencing factors on voter’s behaviour. Today the idea of social media usage is drastically different from the media usage of an era ago. Voter’s behaviour is influenced by sociological & psychological factors which are discussed in this paper. Introduction: Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective. ... In essence political psychologists study the foundations, dynamics, and outcomes of political behavior using cognitive and social explanations. Voters are influenced by sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography, and family. – Voters are also influenced by psychological factors such as political party identification, specific candidates, and key issues. Meaning of Political Psychology: Political psychology is a thriving field of social scientific inquiry, with roots in political science and psychology and connections to a range of other social sciences, including sociology, economics, communication, business, education, and many other fields. Political psychologists attempt to understand the psychological underpinnings, roots, and consequences of political behaviour. Meaning of voting Behavior: Voting behavior is a form of electoral behavior. Understanding voters' behavior can explain how and why decisions were made either by public decision-makers, which has been a central concern for political scientists, or by the electorate. Political science and psychology Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective. ... In essence political psychologists study the foundations, dynamics, and outcomes of political behavior using cognitive and social explanations. Psychological Concept of Vote: There are many psychological concepts that explain why we vote and choose certain politicians. Today the idea of social media usage is drastically different from the media usage of an era ago. It as a source of information and think it to be reliable medium. Physical attractiveness is not the only factor that explains why specific candidates are more likely to win. People are strongly influenced by transformational leaders who are confident, have expertise, seem emotionally strong, trustworthy, optimistic, and action-focused. Political psychology involves the development of completely new theory to provide psychological accounts of political phenomena. Purpose of voting: Voting is a method for a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, to make a collective decision or express an opinion, usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holders of high office by voting. Affecting factors of voting behavior: Understand the sociological and psychological factors that affect voting and voter behavior. – Voters are influenced by sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography and family. They are dedicated to study the mental processes that dominate political judgments and decision-making. Following Factors Influencing Political Participation: • Psychological or cognitive traits: ... • Social environment: ... • Political environment: ... • Level of modernization and urbanization: ... • Political socialization: ... • Modes of participation: ... • Voting: ... • Campaign activities: Importance of Political Psychology: For a voter, political psychology is important because he will understand the bearings of a good leader. He can then compare the current leaders to an ideal leader and based upon that ranking, he can vote for the leader who is the idealist or the closest to an idealist. Political psychology is important because it examines the variables affecting different types of political behaviour, such as vote choice, partisanship, and participation. Knowing those factors help campaigners, and leaders develop strategies to drive societal changes. Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior: People vote for political parties. So, politics comes under the range of activities that psychologists study. Psychology has come up with a number of important insights that will boggle the minds of most readers here and beyond. Outlining these is probably the best way to illustrate how interconnected they are. In fact, in my view no psychologists should be more outspoken on a number of matter that will become clear. Influences on voting behavior: Voters are influenced by 1. Sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography, and family. 2. Voters are also influenced by psychological factors such as political party identification, specific candidates, and key issues. Social pressure on Voting Decision: Voting also marks our membership in a larger group. Social pressure has been found to be a major influence on many people’s decision to vote. People are often motivated to vote because they want to fit in. The electoral study is very pertinent to India which is the largest democracy in the world. India’s Constitution-Makers adopted the system o f parliamentary government as best suited to the genius of the people. A parliamentary government is sustained by electorate casting its votes freely at periodic General elections to choose between candidates normally representing rival political parties. Different Decision Criteria of Voters: Citizens use different decision criteria if they are called to exercise their right to vote in legislative, local elections or in a referendum. In national elections it is usually the norm that people vote based on their political beliefs. Local and regional elections differ, as people tend to elect those who seem more capable to contribute to their area. Promising Way of Voting Behaviour: The study of voting behaviour is highly promising in three ways. 1. The act of voting itself is considered as an overt form of political participation and objective manifestation of the political make-up of the voters. Each voter projects his ideology, political orientation, judgement and attitude and expectations is an effort to identify the most viable of the alternatives. 2. The account of election results objectively shows the numerical strength of the various political forces struggling for power and dominance in the constituency/state/country. 3. The voting preference can be used as a check against the 'hiding o f truth’ tendency among the respondents their ideologies and political attitudes Voting Behaviour in the Indian Context: In India also the voting behaviour of the people has undergone a tremendous change. Since independence, levels of political awareness and participation have risen among all segments of the population…” Political awareness is increasing even among the rural poor and illiterate populations. The main determinants of voting in India are the following: • Caste • Ideology of the political parties • Personality of the Candidates and their orientation • Age and gender of the candidates • Religion and Language • Sub-Nationalism • Money power • Effect of Illiteracy Psychological Impact on reducing Voting Age: There is an increase in the identification with political parties and leaders. Since the voting age is reduced to 18 years, even the college-going students get an opportunity to exercise their vote. With ‘each election, millions of new voters enter the political arena as active participants. Voting behaviour is a form of electoral behaviour. Understanding voters' behaviour can explain how and why decisions were made either by public decision-makers, which has been a central concern for political scientists or by the electorate. To interpret voting behaviour both political science and psychology expertise were necessary and therefore the field of political psychology emerged. Psychological effect on voting Behaviour: The differential psychological effect of several specific emotions have been studied on voting behaviour: Surprise – Recent research suggests that the emotion of surprise may magnify the effect of emotions on voting. Anger – Affective theory would predict that anger increases the use of generalized knowledge and reliance upon stereotypes and other heuristics. Anxiety – Affective intelligence theory identifies anxiety as an emotion that increases political attentiveness while decreasing reliance on party identification when deciding between candidates, thus improving decision-making capabilities. Fear – Studies in psychology has shown that people experiencing fear rely on more detailed processing when making choices. Recent changes in the determinants of voting behaviour even though, the above traditional determinants continue to shape the voting behaviour of voter. Emotional Appeals in Political campaigns: The use of emotional appeals in political campaigns to increase support for a candidate or decrease support for a challenger is a widely recognized practice and a common element of any campaign strategy. Campaigns often seek to install positive emotions such as enthusiasm and hopefulness about their candidate among party bases to improve turnout and political activism while seeking to raise fear and anxiety about the challenger. The big question, though, is which political party or alliance will succeed in creating the right narrative ahead of the 2019 parliamentary polls to attract the younger electorate. With the spread of 4G connectivity to rural India and cheaper smartphones, the 2019 battle is likely to be fought as much on phones as in the streets. Impact of Social Media on Younger Voters Behaviour: Today the idea of social media usage is drastically different from the media usage of an era ago. In 2014 Indian lok-Sabha elections, the social media platforms became a medium for Indian vote casters to find about the Prime Minister candidates. Use of Facebook and Twitter for sending messages to potential voters for their support – can positively affect only the younger persons possibility to cast a vote or it has affect on all age groups. Political opinion Polls: Many opinion polls are published during an election campaign. When the everyday punter sees or hears these estimates, many might believe that their fellow punters are indeed evenly split on their voting intentions. The effect of political opinion polls on the individual voter is a complex matter, not least because the accuracy of polls themselves is now a matter of serious debate, given problems of access to the voters. Conclusion: Lastly we will conclude that Political psychology is important because it examines the variables affecting different types of political behaviour. Voter’s background has the largest influence on that voter's decision. Voter background means the voter's social identity, such as economic class, ethnicity, gender, race and religious preference. Often, a candidate will purposely gear campaign messages to particular voters, using a theme that conveys sameness. Psychology of voting behaviour presence of social media in Indian politics and political campaigning, the influence on individual voter behaviour is limited. Voters are influenced by sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, geography and family. Today the idea of social media & opinion poll & social pressure are also influenced on voting behaviour.
References:
1. Political Psychology: Key Readings: edited by John T. Jost, Jim Sidanius; Published in Great Britan by Psycology Press: 2004
2.Political Psychology: New Explorations: edited by Jon A. Krosnick, I-Chant A. Chiang, Tobias H. Stark; Routledge Taylor & Fransis Group New York & London: First Pub. 2017
3. Determinants of Voting Behavior in India 20 Shares First Published: March 27, 2016 | Last Updated:March 27, 2016 Voting behavior reflect the ways
4. https://esource.dbs.ie/han 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_psychology
टिप्पण्या
टिप्पणी पोस्ट करा