Costs and Values in the Calculus of Voting

The primary focus of this study is upon the relationship between the combination of individuals' psychological predispositions and selected contextual factors in their political environments and their relative rates of voter registration and turnout. The design of the study involves an investigation which combines both individual-level and institutional factors which affect voter participation. The results indicate that while convenience factors associated with the costs portion of a Downsian participation model do in general add significantly to the prediction of electoral participation, the attitudinal predispositions associated with the value of such participation are much more important.