Last week's blog discussed whether record voter dissatisfaction would lead to greater turnout this year or whether eligible voters would exhibit "complaining learned helplessness" and stay home on Election Day. Complaining learned helplessness refers to our tendency to complain ineffectively in situations in which we experience ourselves as having no control over the outcome. As a result, we express dissatisfaction but fail to take action to remedy the situation. So how did we do?
Was Voter Turnout Affected?
To answer this question I must invoke the most classic of psychologist responses to simple ‘yes or no' questions about human behavior-umm, well... it depends. Feel free to roll your eyes.
There is a good reason "it depends" is often the answer of choice in psychology. Looking at overall group means gives us a simple summary of the results but often overlooks important information about individual or sub-group differences. A good example of this is how we measure intelligence. One's IQ score is typically reached by averaging scores on numerous subtests to get a single number. However, someone with an autistic spectrum disorder might do brilliantly on some subtests and terribly on others. Thus, they might end up with an overall average IQ score even though none of their abilities is remotely average. If we were then asked if such a person had above or below average intelligence, the best answer would be, umm, well... it depends, in this case, on the specific intellectual ability involved.
Early reports place general turnout rates for 2010 at 41.4 % (as of this writing), slightly higher than the past two midterm elections, but safely within the margins of voter turnout in the past 6 midterm elections (which ranged between 38%-42%). Given the heightened emotional state of the electorate this year, it would be difficult to conclude anything substantial from these numbers one way or the other. But the picture changes when we look at specific subgroups, for example-voter age.
Although more people vote in Presidential elections, proportions between voting groups should remain constant. In 2008 the percentage of voters aged 18-29 was a whopping 18% while the percentage of voters over age 65 was 15%. This year, early estimates indicate voters aged 18-29 represented a mere 11% of the electorate while the percent of voters over age 65 comprised a huge 23% of the voting public. Thus, the change in general voter turnout might seem insignificant at first glance but an examination of specific electoral groups indicates otherwise.
The American Voter and Complaining Learned Helplessness
Differences in the composition of the electorate notwithstanding, the fact remains that despite the vast majority of eligible voters feeling dissatisfied and even angry with their elected officials only a minority of eligible voters actually voted. When pundits try to explain why so few of us (less than half) performed our civic duty, they invariably invoke their favorite culprit-voter apathy'. The term ‘apathy' implies indifference, disinterest or lack of concern. Yet this year more than ever, eligible voters felt frustrated and angry, emotions that are practically the polar opposites of apathy. If the majority of voters felt so negatively about their elected officials yet declined to take the one action that could bring about change-vote, it speaks not to apathy but to complaining learned helplessness. Only complaining learned helplessness explains how we can feel so strongly about a frustrating situation, yet fail to take effective steps toward resolving it.
Complaining learned helplessness is by no means limited to our voting behavior. Rather it reflects a shift in our general perception of complaining, its functions and purposes. Our complaints used to be expressions of dissatisfaction we used to attain resolutions to our problems. Today, complaining and venting are perceived by many to be interchangeable activities. In other words, the distinction between passively whining about something and actively doing something about it has become confused in our national psyches. Nothing illustrates this point more than a campaign television ad in Nevada (which was ultimately banned). The ad urged Latino voters to punish democrats and express their desire for change by imploring them: "Take Action! Don't Vote!"
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Copyright 2010 Guy Winch
