Choosing Alone? The Role of Social Networks in Modern Political Choice.

Since the 1960’s, the majority of researchers studying political behavior in the United States seem content to either ignore the sociological basis of citizen choice or treat social location as a secondary, less important determinant of political choice. The bulk of the work that has been done concerning the sociological basis of citizen choice focuses on the role that membership in demographic group categories plays in shaping political choices. The findings from these sorts of studies has not only reinforced the perception that social location is a secondary, less important determinant of political choice, but also led some to conclude that modern citizens have become largely independent of groups and social influence (Dalton and Wattenberg, 1993:212-3). Although few would agree that this asocial model of political choice accurately represents reality for most Americans, it is nevertheless striking how little in the way of empirical evidence has been compiled to challenge it. The purpose of this paper is to make use of three unique surveys conducted during the 1984, 1992, and 1996 presidential campaigns to take a closer look at the sociological basis of modern citizen choice, specifically the role of social networks on political choice. By shifting the focus away from the sorts of social groups typically studied in political science (i.e., demographic groups) toward social networks, I seek to determine whether modern choice is still strongly linked to social interaction. It is important to note, however, that simply discovering a link between social networks and political choice would not, in and of itself, present a strong challenge to the asocial model of citizen choice. To do so, it is necessary to demonstrate that social influence occurs beyond the boundaries of close relationships (e.g., family, close friends) and takes place in a significant way among less intimate contacts like nonrelatives and casual acquaintances. The paper is divided into two main sections. In the first, I seek to determine what sort of role social networks play in shaping modern candidate choice. Do networks exert a significant and direct impact on candidate choice, even after controlling for key variables like partisanship and issue position? In the second, I look to see whether social influence regarding partisanship and issue preferences is restricted to intimate friends and acquaintances. Does the most important social influence occur within intimate friendships, or do more casual acquaintances exert a significant impact on choice as well? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]