Partisan Goals, Emotions, and Political Mobilization The Role of Motivated Reasoning in Pressuring Others to Vote

• Published in: The Journal of politics Vol. 80; no. 3; pp. 890 - 902
• Main Authors: Delton, Andrew W., Petersen, Michael Bang, Robertson, Theresa E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago University of Chicago on behalf of the Southern Political Science Association 01.07.2018; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Citizens; Emotions; Gratitude; Group identity; Mobilization; Motivated reasoning; Motivation; Objectives; Partisanship; Political action; Political movements; Political parties; Social costs; Social motivation; Social pressure; Voting; evolutionary political psychology; social pressure; emotions; mobilization; partisanship
• ISSN: 0022-3816; 1468-2508
• DOI: 10.1086/697124

Direct political action appears irrational because it is costly yet cannot meaningfully affect political outcomes. Research shows that social pressure can solve this problem: the social costs of not voting often outweigh the personal costs of voting. But this creates another puzzle, one that is our focus: why do citizens pressure each other? Drawing on theories of partisanship and partisan-motivated reasoning, we test whether social pressure is motivated by partisan goals. First, in a population-based US sample, we compare party members versus independents. Second, in a Danish student sample, we experimentally manipulate partisan motivation. We use and validate emotions—anger and gratitude—as an index of motivation to engage in social pressure. In both studies we find identical effects: partisan-motivated reasoners are more likely to be motivated to pressure others and to direct such motivations toward in-group (and not out-group) members. Partisan goals help explain social pressure.