DEMOGRAPHICS AND THE SOCIAL BASES OF VOTER TURNOUT

This chapter provides readers with a review that empowers them to engage in research that does justice to the underlying social dynamics that give many demographics their explanatory power. For scholars of political behavior generally, demographic characteristics represent highly accessible data that are often correlated with behaviors such as turnout, participation, issue preferences and party affiliation. The binary distinction between male and female has given way to sexual and gender identities that challenge traditional roles and challenge traditional notions of biological determinism. Socio-economic status, or SES, is not a variable but, rather, a catch-all term that encompasses a wide range of potential characteristics. The notion of social exclusion also has motivated former felons and alienated youth. Other than age, no demographic variable has received as much attention as education. The Weberian and Marxist tradition of class analysis views politics in historical context and social classes as collective actors that make political history.