Thursday, November 5, 2020

Federico on The Psychology of Why People Don’t Vote

Headshot of Dr. Christopher Federico
Americans throughout the years have declined to vote in presidential elections. These voters can be placed into several camps. Christopher Federico, PhD, professor in the Departments of Political Science and Psychology at the University of Minnesota, describes some of these in a CNBC article titled, “‘I don’t plan to vote ever again’: The psychology of why so many people don’t vote, even in 2020.”

One set of these non-voters are those that are extremely skeptical of both their government officials and fellow citizens. Due to feeling that the system may be rigged, or that everyone is out for themselves, these voters find voting pointless. For some, politics and political beliefs are not central interests or parts of their identities, and as a result are less likely to vote. Additionally, extroverts are more likely to vote and conversely, those who are less outgoing are less likely to vote.


Composed by Flora Pollack, communications assistant.