Age, Race, and Sex Similarity to Candidates and Voting Preference1

One thousand five hundred and seven voters aged 18 to over 75 from many different geographical areas were presented with pairs of candidates in a simulated mayoral election who differed in sex, race, or age and were asked to “vote.” Results confirmed the conclusions of previous research on undergraduate students (Sigelman & Sigelman, 1982), which found a stronger effect of the age of candidates than of either their sex or their race on voting, and also demonstrated race and sex similarity effects in voting preference. The present study also demonstrated a significant age-similarity effect. Voters over 65 showed a marked “reverse ageism” effect, actively preferring the older of any pair of candidates that differed significantly in age. Complex effects of the race and sex of experimenters on voting preference, interpreted as salience effects, were also obtained. Implications for actual electoral outcomes in the situation of an aging population are discussed.

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