Cognitive Heterogeneity and Economic Voting: Does Political Sophistication Condition Economic Voting?

Abstract

This research examines the influence of political sophistication on economic voting. Whether or not political sophistication affects economic voting is controversial. Empirical studies show mixed evidence regarding the topic. This study points out that methodologicalapproaches in previous empirical studies could cause the mixed results. By analyzing data from the 1992, 1996, and 2008 presidential elections in the United States with interaction models, this study reveals that political sophistication conditions sociotropic economic voting. However, the conditional effects vary across the three elections. In contrast, political sophistication does not condition pocketbook voting in general.