Utility, broadly conceived, might be
operationalized in any of several ways:
1.
Which candidate do you feel closest to?
(Feeling Thermometer)
Utility I = FT Bush - FT Clinton
where FT Bush = V29 and FT Clinton
= V31
A positive value indicates Bush is favored.
A negative value indicates Clinton is favored.
2.
Which candidate do you feel closest to ideologically? (Relative Distance)
Distance to Bush = |V53 - V54|
Distance to Clinton = |V53
- V55|
where V53 is the Respondent’s Ideological Self-Identification, V54 is R’s Sense of Bush’s Ideology, and V55 is R’s sense of Clinton’s Ideology
Utility II = D Bush - D Clinton
A negative number indicates that the Respondent is
closer to Bush.
A positive number indicates that the Respondent is closer to Clinton.
3.
Which is the best party or candidate to handle a set of issues?
V50 Economy/Party (R)
V51 Economy/Candidate
V52 Deficit
V59 Taxes/Candidate
V60 Taxes/Party (R)
V88 Foreign Affairs
V89 War (R)
Each issue is scored 1 = Republican, 2 = No Difference, 3 = Democrats
AFTER you recode variables V50, V59 and V89.
Best Party = V45 + V50 + V51 + V52 + V59 + V60 + V88 + V89
A low score favors the
Republicans. (8)
A high score favors the Democrats
(24)
Neither party is advantaged is the
score is 16.
Other
Variables in the Downsian Model:
V1
V2
To get rid of Perot and simplify the analysis, RECODE V2 so that 3 = Missing.
V109 Political Efficacy
There aren’t really any good measures of the costs of voting in this
data. We can create a measure of
difficulty citizen have in voting by relying on a few assumptions. Those with low incomes have a harder time
with the costs of voting. Minorities
have historically faced discrimination in their attempts to vote. New voters face the hurdle of registering
for the first time.
V132
Income (1, 2 = 1) (3, 4, 5, 6, 7 = 0)
V126 Race/Ethnicity (1 = 0)(2, 3,
4=1)
V127 Age (1=1)(2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = 0)
Cost = V132 + V126 + V127
A high value indicates more hurdles to face, e.g., 3 = a young, poor
minority citizen.
V114 Trust
in Government Index