Economic Inequality and Voting for Political Parties

• In Event: Economic Considerations and the Vote

Abstract

In this study, we examine how economic inequality influences voting. We introduce the notion of subjective class consciousness to the theory of class politics, and propose a novel argument that economic inequality increases voting for conservative parties. When economic inequality is high, the sense of material superiority or deprivation divides individuals into subjective upper and lower classes. Contrary to a predicted divergence in voting behavior between the rich and the poor, the subjective lower class tend to vote together with the subjective upper class to support conservative parties, in order to acquire a sense of non-material superiority to compensate for the economic deprivation. Using the case of South Korea, we provide a thorough empirical assessment of the argument. An individual level analysis shows individual voters with subjective upper or lower class are on average more conservative, and a congressional district level analysis demonstrates economic inequality increases voting for conservative parties.

Authors

• Seungwoo Han

• Jun Xiang, Rutgers University