An Analysis of the Changing Social Bases of America's Political Parties: 1952-2008

Zingher, Joshua N. (2014) An Analysis of the Changing Social Bases of America’s Political Parties: 1952-2008, Electoral Studies, 35: 272-282.

11 Pages Posted: 6 Jan 2014 Last revised: 22 May 2015

Date Written: February 10, 2014

Abstract

In this article I assess how the social bases of the American political parties have evolved over time. To accomplish this task, I first determine which social group memberships significantly influence individual vote choice with a multivariate analysis of ANES data. I then measure how many votes each politically relevant social group contributed to the party coalitions in each presidential election from 1952-2008. I discuss how group contributions have changed over time and establish the demographic and behavioral causes of group contribution change. I find that the party coalitions have been restructured as a result of groups’ changing voting behavior and the changing ratio of groups in the electorate.

Suggested Citation

Zingher, Joshua, An Analysis of the Changing Social Bases of America's Political Parties: 1952-2008 (February 10, 2014). Zingher, Joshua N. (2014) An Analysis of the Changing Social Bases of America’s Political Parties: 1952-2008, Electoral Studies, 35: 272-282. , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2374912 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2374912

Joshua Zingher (Contact Author)

Old Dominion University ( email )

Norfolk, VA 23529-0222
United States
3199296320 (Phone)

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