Party System Polarization and Electoral Participation

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26780082
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University (2015-2016); The University of Tokyo (2014)
• Principal Investigator: Sakaiya Shiro 首都大学東京, 社会科学研究科, 准教授 (70568419)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 政治参加 / 投票参加 / 政治的平等 / 政党システム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examines whether voters who see larger ideological differences between the parties are more likely to participate in elections. This hypothesis is implied by Anthony Downs’s classical rational voter theory. To test this hypothesis, recent surveys of Japanese voters and large-scale international comparative surveys (Comparative Study of Electoral Systems) are utilized. A new index is proposed to measure voters’ subjective degree of party system polarization and used as a key independent variable. The results suggest that the Downs’ hypothesis is valid in Japan and many other democracies.

Free Research Field

現代日本政治