The Income Gap in the 2008 Presidential Election

Authors

Patrick Fisher

Volume Number

39

Issue Number

1

Abstract

The income gap—the difference in the political behavior of those with low- and high-income—in the 2008 presidential election was generally similar to what it had been for decades: the likelihood of voting Republican tended to increase with family income. I find two important attributes of the 2008 income gap. First, the size of the income gap varied significantly state to state. Second, analyzing American National Election Studies (ANES) data from 2008, Ifind that there clearly is an ideological divide in the United States on the basis of one's income on a number of public policy issues, though this division is not ideologically consistent from issue to issue. These results suggest that economic issues continue to be a primary motivating factor in determining how different income groups vote.

Recommended Citation

Fisher, Patrick (2011) "The Income Gap in the 2008 Presidential Election," Journal of Political Science: Vol. 39: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/jops/vol39/iss1/3