The effect of social interaction and cultural consumption on voting turnout

Abstract

Several solutions to the paradox of voting have been investigated since the publication of "An Economic Theory of Democracy". Some studies suggest that dynamics emerging in a group may induce its members to conform to cooperative behavior, and consequently encourage voting. Such dynamics remind the (Bourdieu, Richardson (ed), Handbook of theory of research for the sociology of education, Greenwood Press, 1986) definition of social capital, which implies the existence of a net of interactions and a process of individual investment to create and maintain social obligations; individual investment that is also needed for cultural capital accumulation. Following such intuitions, we investigate the influence of social interaction and cultural consumption on voting turnout using data from British Household Panel Survey. Results show that voting participation is positively related to social interactions in groups that are characterized by strong bonds, and to some forms of cultural consumption. The analysis also highlights the role of hierarchical groups on electoral participation and the effect of residential mobility in weakening social connections.