Value Cleavages, Economic Cleavages, and the Japanese Voter

Abstract

Both economic and value cleavages have been shown to have an important impact on the voting behavior of citizens in advanced industrial societies. Because these two cleavages are cross-cutting, a third dimension that measures the relative salience of value issues is necessary to predict voting choices more accurately. Using Japanese data. I derive independent measures of economic interests, of value preferences, and of the salience attached to value concerns and demonstrate their distinct effects on voting behavior. In order to refine Ronald Inglehart's assessment of the impact of value change on partisan realignments within major occupational strata, I formulate tests to determine the shortand long-term factors that affect change in value preferences and value salience. Finally, I assess the relationship between voting trends and the predicted long-term direction of change on both value dimensions.