Parenthood, Family Values, and the 1992 Presidential Election

Abstract

There was a "family gap" in presidential voting in the 1992 election, with parents of young children voting more Republican. This voting difference remains, even when controls are employed for relevant demographic variables. Similarly, attitudes on family values affected voting in 1992, even when controls are added for more conventional attitudinal variables. The parenthood effect did not exist in 1988, lending support to the argument that its occurrence in 1992 was related to the focus on family values in the presidential campaign. Family structure variables can have partisan effects when parties address family issues in their appeals to voters. The target audience of the family values appeal did support President Bush, although their numbers were not large enough to produce victory.