Why do Some Individuals Abstain from Voting? The Impact of Age, Education, and Confidence in the Court System on Voter Participation

Authors

Kristina Taylor, Xavier University of LouisianaFollow

Publication Date

12-20-2019

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to discover why some individuals abstain from voting in America. Using this information, countries may be able to increase voter turnout amongst their population. Literature provided several theories as to why individuals abstain from voting. This research focused on the impact of: age, education, and confidence in the courts system. A regression was conducted using GSS 1998 survey data to observe the impact of these three variables on voter turnout. It was found in this model that age and education have a statistically significant impact on voter turnout, but confidence in the court system does not. In order to develop a fully specified model, confidence in the court system was removed from the model. The results indicated that age and education describe 13.5% of the variance in voter turnout. Methods to increase voter turnout are suggested based on these results.

Recommended Citation

Taylor, Kristina (2019) "Why do Some Individuals Abstain from Voting? The Impact of Age, Education, and Confidence in the Court System on Voter Participation," XULAneXUS: Vol. 17: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus/vol17/iss1/2