Income and Voting Behavior in Korean Politics: Why Do the Poor Support Conservative Political Parties?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of the poors political support for conservative parties in Korea. Using data from the post-election survey of the last presidential election in 2012, three competing theoretical frameworks wereanalyzed to identify the determinants of this support. The results of the empirical analyses demonstrate that the role of political cleavages such as regional cleavages and the North Korea cleavage, as well as critical evaluations of the progressive government model, play key roles in determining the support of the poor for the conservative Saenuri Party. Although this study concerned the Korean case, two of its findings have significant implications for comparative studies. First, political cleavages (second dimensions) are context-dependent, and second, the performance of the progressive government is important for the potential future mobilization of the poor.