Automation, Culture, and Vote Choices

• In Event: Economic Insecurity, Policy Preferences, and Voting Behavior

Abstract

How does revolutionary technological change translate into the political arena? Over the last two decades, we have seen an important restructuring of employment relationships in post-industrial societies. Technological change is widely considered one of the main drivers of these transformations. The emerging literature in political economy has shown that exposure to automation makes individuals more likely to support radical right-wing parties. However, the existing works have not yet identified the mechanisms linking exposure to automation and political behavior. In this paper, I explore the potential mechanisms, focusing on the interplay between economic and cultural factors. Using mediation analysis on survey data from the European Social Survey (2012-2016) and a parallel design survey experiment, I show that outgroup threat and nostalgic sentiments mediate the effects of technological change on support for radical right-wing parties and political disengagement. These results add to our understanding of how structural changes in labor markets and cultural factors affect political behavior and inequality.

Author

• Valentina Gonzalez-Rostani, Princeton University