Voter Self-interest

SELF-INTEREST FOR A voter comes in two types, short-term based on what the voter needs or is experiencing right then, and longer-term self-interest that might be called an ideology. A person's self-interest should be able to be used to determine whether he or she will support a given idea or not. Of equal importance to a person's self-interest is understand the [Page 838]ramifications of a given issue. A person who is well off is more likely to want to maintain the status quo. Those less well off are more likely to want to institute changes. A well off person tends to be conservative, while those who are not doing well under the current system are more likely to be liberal or advocate changes to the system.

While ideology and self-interest would seem to be the same, ideology tends to take a longer-term view then self-interest on a basic level (issues pertaining to an individual's immediate survival). For example, in the short run it would seem to be more advantageous for a person to be opposed to taxes. Taxes immediately take money from a person that could be used to support that person. This is especially true for those with lower income. However, the long-term view says that taxes are a good idea because they allow the government to provide services that individuals might not be able to gain access to on their own. Ideology determines how persons with similar views should consider a given topic. In this case, the policy (taxes) is in conflict with the low-income person's immediate self-interest, but in alignment with their long-term self-interest.

Sometimes the connection between the person's self-interest and the topic is not clear. Its bearing on their self-interest can be obscured by this indirect connection. For example, tax money is spent on enforcing pollution reduction standards, forcing companies to comply with pollution reduction laws. This can affect the person's environment and health, but the connection between paying taxes and the clean environment is not always obvious.

It is easy to assume people's ideologies are based on their situation (well off or not). However, there are always those who defy stereotypes. People who are well off in the system may advocate changing the system to help those less fortunate. There are also those who are not well off, yet do not want to see the system changed. These people generally perceive that the system is the reason that some people are succesful and want their chance to use the system to improve their position. However, there appears to be few people in these categories. Instead, based on data collected, it appears that individuals who support a party (or ideology) that does not seem to fit with their status in life do not follow politics. They have not taken the time to investigate and understand the policies of the party they associate with. Instead, their choice is made based on other factors, or through an incorrect application of self-interest based on an incomplete understanding of the issues.

One example of this misunderstanding of issues can be seen in cases where people do not completely understand issues and the effect they will have on them. A study done of legislation designed to reduce taxes for only the wealthiest people in the United States showed that people in lower income brackets supported a tax cut, even though it would not reduce their taxes. One reason they supported the tax cut was that they believed that their own taxes were too high. Thus, because the voters did not educate themselves fully on the issue they ended up taking a position that was actually contrary to their self-interest.

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