12_6_2018_Why do onl.pdf (1.8 MB)
Why do only some people who support parties actually join them? Evidence from Britain
Version 2 2023-06-12, 07:23
Version 1 2023-06-09, 14:16
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 07:23 authored by Monica Poletti, Paul WebbPaul Webb, Tim BaleWhat makes people join a political party is one of the most commonly studied questions in research on party members. Nearly all this research, however, is based on talking to people who have actually joined parties. This article simultaneously analyses surveys of members of political parties in Britain and surveys of non-member supporters of those same parties. This uniquely enables us to model the decision to join parties. The results suggest that most of the elements that constitute the influential ‘General Incentives Model’ are significant. But it also reveals that, while party supporters imagine that selective benefits, social norms and opposing rival parties’ policies are key factors in members’ decisions to join a party, those who actually do so are more likely to say they are motivated by attachments to their party’s values, policies and leaders, as well as by an altruistic desire to support democracy more generally.
Funding
Party Members in the United Kingdom; G1772; ESRC-ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL; POLD1A6S - ES/M007537/1
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
West European PoliticsISSN
0140-2382Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
42Page range
156-172Department affiliated with
- Politics Publications
Research groups affiliated with
- Sussex European Institute Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2018-07-27First Open Access (FOA) Date
2018-12-06First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-07-26Usage metrics
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