Issue Ownership in Presidential Elections, with a 1980 Case Study

1996/08/01 by John R. Petrocik · 1 voice · 2,905 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Economics #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Framing (construction) #Law #Media Influence and Politics #Political Influence and Corporate Strategies #Political science #Politics #Positive economics #Presidential election #Presidential system #Psychology #Public relations #Reputation #Social psychology #Voting

paper · doi:10.2307/2111797

published in American Journal of Political Science 40(3), 825 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 1996/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

Theory: This paper develops and applies an issue ownership theory of voting that emphasizes the role of campaigns in setting the criteria for voters to choose between candidates. It expects candidates to emphasize issues on which they are advantaged and their opponents are less well regarded. It explains the structural factors and party system variables which lead candidates to differentially emphasize issues. It invokes theories of priming and framing to explain the electorate's response. Hypotheses: Issue emphases are specific to candidates; voters support candidates with a party and performance based reputation for greater competence on handling the issues about which the voter is concerned. Aggregate election outcomes and individual votes follow the problem agenda. Method: Content analysis of news reports, open-ended voter reports of important problems, and the vote are analyzed with graphic displays and logistic regression analysis for presidential elections between 1960 and 1992. Results: Candidates do have distinctive patterns of problem emphases in their campaigns; election outcomes do follow the problem concerns of voters; the individual vote is significantly influenced by these problem concerns above and beyond the effects of the standard predictors.

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Discussions

• There's a social-science concept I wish politicians would learn: issue ownership. While there's more to it, the idea is that a candidate or party's record and core constituency can give them a permane [bsky, 4 points, 1 comments]

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