Why We Vote: Social Norms, Rational Choice, and the Paradox of Turnout

Overview

In this Be Smart video, Joe examines the question of why people vote. He notes that a single vote is unlikely to decide an election, yet large numbers still participate. The discussion blends classical rational-choice theory with contemporary social science findings, showing that turnout is often driven by social factors rather than purely cost–benefit calculations. A key part of the story is social norms: the sense of obligation to belong and to fulfill civic promises. The video features Don Green of Columbia University, who explains how experiments reveal the power of social pressure on turnout. The takeaway is that voting is a human, social act shaped by norms, obligations, and altruism, not just rational calculation.

Introduction: The Question Be Smart Asks

Joe opens with a paradox: voting is common and celebrated as a civic duty, yet one vote is unlikely to change an outcome. He asks why people vote at all and how motivation works in a complex, human system. The video frames the investigation as a search for the underlying forces that drive participation in democracy.

Rational Choice Theory and Anthony Downs

The narrative moves to the rational choice framework, introduced via Anthony Downs’s 1957 work An Economic Theory of Democracy. Downs argued that rational voters weigh benefits against costs and vote only if the perceived benefit exceeds the cost. The question then becomes what counts as a benefit and what counts as a cost in the context of voting, and how individuals maximize their own satisfaction through choice.

Limits of Rational Calculation in Real Life

The discussion highlights that real-world voting often fails to align with pure rationality. Examples include all-day festivals with food or alcohol to boost turnout, as well as conveniences like early voting. Despite these incentives, turnout responses were modest. The point is that material costs and visible benefits are not the dominant drivers for most voters, suggesting other forces at play in democratic participation.

Prescriptive Social Norms and the Power of Group Belonging

The video then shifts to social norms as a powerful, often unconscious driver of behavior. From an early age, people learn what is expected in public life, and social pressure shapes choices without explicit rules. Experiments in voting behavior show that when information about neighbors’ voting is shared, turnout can surge due to perceived social pressure and obligations to conform to group norms. This aligns with the idea that humans evolved in tight-knit social groups where belonging could be a matter of life and death, and these instincts persist in modern democracies.

Obligation, Promises, and Altruism

The presenter discusses how social norms can create a sense of obligation. Pledges to vote tie individual action to a social commitment, similar to promises in institutions like marriage. Altruism is examined as a potential driver of voting, driven by evolutionary instincts to look out for others and to be part of a community, even at personal cost. The video argues that the reasons people give for voting (for the greater good, protecting rights, etc.) often coexist with, and are reinforced by, these social norms.

Conclusion: Democracy as a Human Construct

Ultimately, the video emphasizes that democracy is a human invention shaped by a spectrum of motives. The same person may vote for multiple reasons, and the sum of these motivations arises from complex social dynamics rather than a single, rational calculation. The closing message invites curiosity about the unconscious forces that guide our actions and reminds viewers that behavior rarely unfolds like simple physical laws.

About the Hosts

The video features Don Green, a political science professor at Columbia University, who specializes in campaigns and turnout and provides empirical context for the social-norms arguments discussed.