The Psychology of Voting

I've wondered about this. Are voters of one Party or the other more likely to vote for their Party if they sense they are behind or ahead? For example, if the polls say their candidate is behind by 10 points, are they more likely to vote than if the polls say their candidate is up by 10 points? Does it matter at all to most voters?

Or do most voters vote on their gut feelings? If they feel that the economy is doing OK and that the country is generally going in the right direction, do they ignore the polls? If they like "their guy", does it matter what the polls say at all? Or do they vote just to prove the pollsters wrong?

I do believe that psychology plays a large role in the voting habits of America. However, that psychology is formed by what they see and hear on the television media, in my opinion. Only with television can they be touched by both sight and sound and added emotion. Newspapers cannot compete with television in that respect. However, the written word has a power all its own. It is more open to the interpretation of the reader.

How much will psychology play in the election in November? Will the people listen to the propaganda or will they listen to their gut? Will they flock to the polls to vote or will they stay away? Do they think we are generally going in the right direction or are they ambiguous or believe that we are definitely on the wrong track? Also, can they be changed in their thinking between now and November or is their viewpoint already settled?

Msongs

hear our song demos
www.msongs.com/msongsdemos.htm

don't know... creates voter apathy.

because that's all there is in the MSM. I'm beginning to believe that most people today don't know the difference between a republican and a potato much less a republican and a democrat.

Psychology is key, but it a psyche can only react to the info it's got. Most people are simply unaware of the relevant info, or have heard only distorted versions of it. Media as well as election reform need to be top priorities now.

desire to VOTE FOR THE WINNER, no matter who it is. I call this the "horserace" mentality. For some reason, some people don't care who wins, as long as they can claim that they voted for the winner after the election. I have actually heard people talk like this, so I know it's not my fevered imagination.

for a winner with your vote...Gambling and ignoring the issues, the candidates voting record, their ethics..All just to crow to other people that you won,picked a winner,and predicted it..Whoo hoo....That idiotic braggart mentality of gamblers makes us all losers. You don't win against the house past a certain point,ever..You know the game is rigged to favor the house and so you will keep on trying to win...Likewise you don't win anything by voting against your own interests when you prefer to gamble away the country's quality of life by betting with your vote,looking for a winner in a big popularity contest instead of seeking to vote for a decent human being to fill the role of president that through his future policy and"trickle down" domination will affect YOUR quality of life?.

It stuns me sometimes how shallow stupid and thoughtless some people can be with important decisions..