Article
Ambivalence, Political Engagement and Context
Political Studies
(2014)
Abstract
Scholars of American politics have generally found a negative relationship between ambivalence and political engagement. This study explores such conclusions and argues that the effect of ambivalence on engagement varies according to electoral context. Using a multi-level modeling strategy, I find that ambivalence has a significant overall effect on political engagement for citizens in the United States but a lesser overall impact for citizens in Great Britain. Yet by allowing the slope and the intercept of ambivalence to vary across parliamentary districts, I find that ambivalence has asymmetrical effects on political engagement within Britain. I conclude by arguing that ambivalence essentially operates in a differential manner across electoral contexts and provide preliminary evidence as to why this is.
Keywords
- ambivalence,
- participation,
- comparative
Disciplines
Publication Date
October 1, 2014
DOI
10.1111/1467-9248.12063
Citation Information
April A. Johnson. "Ambivalence, Political Engagement and Context" Political Studies Vol. 62 Iss. 3 (2014) p. 502 - 521 ISSN: 0032-3217 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/april-johnson/5/