Poor Choices? Examining the Link Between Party Choice and Unequal Opinion-Policy Congruence

Research on opinion-policy congruence has consistently found that affluent voters see more of their preferred policies implemented than their less well-off compatriots. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. In particular, the electoral behavior of voters have been understudied, which is surprising given the pivotal role of parties and governments in enacting policy and acting as a conduit of representation. This paper analyzes opinion-policy congruence among voters of different income groups. By assembling a large dataset on opinions, vote choices, governments and implemented policy, we find that (1) affluent voters see more of their preferred policy realized, (2) are more likely to vote for parties whose positions match their own, (3) and that having a preferred party in government increases opinion-policy congruence. However, (4) the fact that affluent voters more often see their preferred party in government does not explain unequal opinion-policy congruence.