The Electoral Relevance of Political Talk: Examining Disagreement and Expertise Effects in Social Networks on Political Participation

Although people with larger, more politicized social networks are more likely to participate in elections, we know very little about what drives this relationship. I argue that the electoral relevance of political talk depends heavily on the political expertise imbedded in discussion networks. Using...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAmerican journal of political science Vol. 50; no. 3; pp. 737 - 754
Main Author McClurg, Scott D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.07.2006
Blackwell Publishing
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects
Communication
Dyadic relations
Elections
Electoral behaviour
Electoral sociology
Empirical evidence
Engagement
Experts
Influence
Interpersonal communication
Participation
Personal relationships
Political campaigns
Political candidates
Political elections
Political information
Political networks
Political Participation
Political partisanship
Political theory
Politicization
Politics
Preferences
Presidential elections
Relevance
Social Networks
Support
Voting
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Summary:Although people with larger, more politicized social networks are more likely to participate in elections, we know very little about what drives this relationship. I argue that the electoral relevance of political talk depends heavily on the political expertise imbedded in discussion networks. Using data gathered during the 1996 presidential election, I demonstrate that the level of political sophistication in a persons' social network exerts a positive influence on participation. Importantly, this effect is greater than the impact of political preferences in the network, the factor that is implicitly considered to be the main link between networks and involvement. This evidence makes two contributions to research on networks and participation. First, it provides support for a theoretical model that better accounts for research on the relationship between political talk, political disagreement, and involvement. Second, it changes the normative implications associated with political talk by suggesting that networks can encourage both higher levels of involvement and increased consideration of differing viewpoints.
Bibliography:ArticleID:AJPS213
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This article was presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association. I am grateful to Jason Barabas, J. Tobin Grant, Jennifer Jerit, Bob Huckfeldt, Christopher Kenny, Jan Leighley, Jeff Mondak, John Scholz, Fred Solt, Michelle Wade, and the anonymous reviewers for their comments. Lecture attendees at the University of Connecticut and the University of Nebraska‐Omaha also provided helpful feedback. All errors remain my responsibility.
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ISSN:0092-5853
1540-5907
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2006.00213.x