Who Cares about the Culture War? Evidence from a Vote Choice Conjoint Experiment

• In Event: Intersections between Public Opinion and Political Behavior

Abstract

To what extent do new culture war issues take precedence over economic and long-standing non-economic issues for voters? This study first provides a new, specific and concise definition of a culture war issue which can be used in different future research contexts. Second, this study conducts an original vote choice conjoint experiment in the United Kingdom to see if people base their vote on these issues. Culture war issues are consistently important for those with more conservative (‘orthodox’) cultural beliefs. Furthermore, those with right-traditionalist and, to a lesser extent, left-traditionalist values prioritise them when cross-pressured. These results have implications for the political dynamics of culture wars, vote choice in multi-dimensional elections and highlight the importance of studying political beliefs relative to each other.

Author

• James Breckwoldt, University of Manchester